>>> Wojtek Sokolowski <sokol at jhu.edu> 06/01 11:33 AM >>>
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..."?
Wojtek: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.
Me: Yes. I agree with this. But I wasn't saying that the members of the ruling class in general really believe or even read _The Bell Curve_ . That's why I said they were desparate ( in 1970- 1985 or so, as Doug correctly refined the timing). They had to be aware of,the evident crap of a lot they and their agents cooked up - _The Bell Curve_ , Supreme Court reverse discrimination doctrine , et al.
I don't mean it was explicitly conspiratorial ( Murray didn't sit down with the Trilateral commission), just new "policy" put out about 1975. Not every detail was planned by the leaders of the ruling class, but they got the general message out and opportunists like Murray picked up on it and did their thing.
Overall, from my perspective, we seem to be reaching agreement on this issue.
I don't think the executives of the bourgeoisie ruling class believe the content of the Bible either, but the policy is to promote it.
Charles had written:
>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 ?
Wojtek said: 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).
Me: Yes, I agree we need organization, a party. Even if things "snap", there will be no revolution if there is no conscious part of the working class, i.e. a party. Of course, it has to be of a new, new type and in the American cultural tradition, but it MUST learn from the history of party experience, as with anything else.
I agree that the militias are contradictory, combining reactionary and "liberty" ideas. The American Revolution progressive tradition is significantly anarchist ("the government that governs least , governs best"). The federal government, their main enemy, is part of state-monopoly capital. HOWEVER, the Montana crowd, Ruby Ridge, were racists. The militia movement MUST root out the fascistic racists or else it would, obviously be horrendous. Afterall, the Nazis were "National SOCIALISTS" and Mussolini had been in the Socialist Party.
I heard a radio interview with a leader of the Michigan Militia recently. He said , with honest regret, that racists are in sections of the militia , and admitted they must be rooted out.
Charles Brown