Black....Michael P on Comintern. A correction.

[Wojtek Sokolowski]

At 12:00 PM 6/22/98 -0500, Carrol Cox wrote:
>If you read through this whole thread carefully you will see that I and
>several others are talking about *the route to* a "universalist" (i.e.,
>working-class (multi-racial, multi-national, whatever label) movement. WE
>are arguing that black organizations which *will look like but NOT be*
>exclusivist movements are under the historical conditions through which
>the u.s. working class has evolved the only route to unity across racial
>divides.

I reply (WS):  I remain skeptical about arguments for 'temporary solutions'
en route achieving the universal goal of communist society; vanguard party,
dictatorship of the proletariat, various nationalisms - I think these are
precisely the junctures where the left  went astray; nationalism has been a
Trojan horse to the left, and to push that metaphor even further, I am
amazed how easily we ignore the warnings of the Left's Cassandra, Rosa
Luxemburg, who would rather go to prison than embrace nationalism.

Perhaps I'm missing something, but I just fail to see how exactly
nationalism, Black or otherwise, will "lift itself by its bootstraps" to
universalism and internationalism.  


>[And certainly ( this is *not* in reference to you) those who feel in
>anyway personally abused or affronted by being excluded from black
>caucuses or black conferences or women's caucuses, etc.: every kind of

I reply (WS):  I do not feel personally offended in any way by such
exclusions, just as I am not offended by the existence of any other
exclusive club.  I view it as an opportunity to discuss the organizing
strategy for the left, not to register personal grievances.

Regards,

Wojtek