Wenn ich Kultur hoere (was Re: Invention of the white race // Rakeshon eugenics)

Wojtek Sokolowski sokol at jhu.edu
Mon Jun 1 08:33:09 PDT 1998


At 10:58 AM 5/31/98 -0400, Charles Brown wrote:
>The evident crappiness of the latest racist pseudo-biology is an
indication of the desparation and decadence of the bourgeoisie, but all bourgeois ideological tricks are evident crap actually. Ruling class ideologies have always been irrational, but somehow they get over - for example Christianity, the content of which is easily refuted. What exactly do you mean that we are "attach(ing) too much value to the contents..."?

That we hear this crap not because it reflects genuine views of the ruling class - e.g. their position on abortion, religion or ethnic minorities - which they want to spread, but because it is instrumental in maintaining the ruling class hegemeony by using the divide and rule tactic. The more divisive the issue, the better, irrespective of its contents.

I can easily imagine the members of the ruling class being personally opposed to what they adopt as a "party platform" - and thye will often confirm that they have "nothing personal" againts Blacks or women who have an abortion, but they promote their position mainly as 'good public policy". Translation: a policy that prssrves the hegemony of the ruling class, democratoc facades notwitstanding.


>The private and the public spheres in "opposite directions" reflects the
private nature of appropriation in contradiction with the social nature of production, the central contradiction of capitalism.
>
>What is to be done about all this in your opinion ?

This process will not continue forever, it is bound to snap somewhere sometime. The point is to be ready to exploit it. That requires building organizational infrastructure ready to accept the disgruntled groups whenever the sanp occurs. The christians and other religious warlocks do that, they talk to the common folks screwed up by liberal capitalism, but the Left does very little about that. We are more concerned about words, ideological purity and what not, than about political action.

Personally, I would not mind Left organizing under whatever ideological auspices - anything that appeals to the people. Ideology changes as a result of movement participation - social movement research tells us - what matters is mobilization for action. I would like to see the folks who now stalk the FBI agents in Montana being on our side, their personal beliefs notwithstanding. It matter little what people think, what really matters is what they do (as long as it undermines the status quo, of course).

Regards

Wojtek Sokolowski



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