Mindspring censorship; abortion

[Charles Brown]

Millions are listening to the bourgeois ideologists who are as or more dogmatic and rigid than Marxists, so I'm not sure it's dogmatism and rigidity that stops millions from listening. There's a lot of fake openmindedness and "democracy" in bourgeois culture, but really it is extremely dogmatic and rigid, tight mind control. Isn't this some of what Butler tries to demonstrate ?
If what you are saying were the cause of the smallness of the Marxist movement,  the Catholic Church, the whole Christian church, the Republican and Democratic Parties wouldn't have millions listening to them for they are extremely dogmatic and rigid.

I'd say the notion that Marxists are more dogmatic than other political schools of thought is a very false myth (especially perpetrated by the bourgeoisie).

What we should be saying is that Marxism is inherently anti-dogmatic and revolutionary; no , anti-dogmatic does not mean eternally uncertain about every issue' and no , we shouldn't be afraid to take a stand that we don't think all "Marxists" are Marxists. That's the real meaning of Marx's famous joke, by the way. As you say, Marx used irony.

Charles Brown

P.S.Remember for the Marxist canon I nominate Engels, Andy Austin and Eleanor Marx. This is quite liberal by the way, because Andy will keep an eye on Engels' errors for us. I'm putting a debate , a contradiction right in the canon


>>> Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> 02/08 4:25 PM >>>
Charles Brown wrote:


>This is why , analogously, Marxists' certainty about certain issues is NOT
>invidious authoritarianism, totalitarianism, dogmatism, rigidity or
>"Stalinism". We cannot get anything accomplished, PRACTICE, unless we are
>and act sure  and definite about somethings , sometime.  How are millions
>of people going to listen to us [...]

Problem is, Charles, millions aren't listening, and haven't in years. And
one of the reasons they aren't is that heritage of dogmatism and rigidity.

Doug