Alterman and Rorty

Dhlazare at aol.com Dhlazare at aol.com
Wed May 27 13:18:14 PDT 1998


In a message dated 98-05-26 13:38:44 EDT, you write:

<<

What we need is mass struggle -- and no mass struggle (reformist or

revolutionary or anything in between) has EVER been based on a

majoritarian view. What mass struggle does is neutralize a majority of the

population and isolate into a minority the overt defenders of reaction.

Unless a mass struggle (based on these general principles) is developed in

the next year or so Social Security is doomed. >>

This is quite incorrect. Of course, every movement begins as a minority current -- can it ever be otherwise? But every movement calling itself democratic adopts the viewpoint that it can only be successful, ultimately, when it rallies the majority to its side. It struggles to acquire majority status from the outset. This was the opinion, by the way, of both Lenin and Trotsky, who recognized that because socialism did not enjoy the support of the majority, at least as of the 1920s, it was forced to adopt coercive measures to keep itself in power. But these measures were a sign of failure rather than of success.

Dan Lazare.



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