On Wed, 24 Jun 1998, Chuck Grimes wrote:
> IMHO, stopping Corporate Capitalism is vastly more important than
> Black, Gay,
> Women's, or other real or ideological "struggles" at this point in time
> because we will all achieve freedom and equality after the biosphere can
> no
> longer
> sustain us.
>
> Just a thought,
> Joshua2
> ---------------------------
>
> Putting off the revolution in favor of 'soft' issues? I think this
> opinion, which I more or less shared until several years ago, reveals a
> misunderstanding of how corporate capitalism or as I like to called it
> totalizing capitalism works at this point in time.
>
> The two poles of this question or issue, class struggle v. identity
> politics are intimately linked together. When blacks are paid less per
> hour, presumably because they are worth less, it is called racism. When
> women are paid less per hour, it is presumably because they are also
> worth less, and that is called sexist. When white trash are paid less,
> it isn't called anything, but the excuse is that they are ignorant,
> lack education, training and job skills. When immigrants are paid less
> it is presumably because they are worth less due to ignorance, lack of
> education and training and they don't speak English. In each case the
> form of the argument is the same, and so is the result--more work, less
> pay--in other words oppression and exploitation--in other words
> oppression of the working class.
>
> So, in this historical moment the form of working class oppression is
> racism, sexism, homophobia, and various other form of discrimination
> because the core of that discrimination takes the form of suppressed
> wages. The means to stop or at least make the giants stumble is exactly
> the same as always: strikes, boycotts, political organization, advocacy
> and the legal battles--oh, yeah, and occassionally violent mass
> confrontations.
>
> It isn't a question of, is ending racism or sexism more important
> than working class struggle. They are interlocked together.
>
> Chuck Grimes
>
>