John-John, RIP

[Charles Brown]

The issue in dispute between Kelley ( her whole post) and Doug here seems to me to be so central to the left. There is no left movement without the vast majority of people making it.  The American organic intellectuals can see a way out for the people, the working class, and we should be confident that this left view is substantially accurate. Yet, as Kelley says, this valid vision will not be taken up by people who are victims being blamed. What a dilemma . How do we make our message persuasive and inspiring , especially when the ruling class has a very strict monopoly control on the means of mass communication ? How can we be critical of the ways that people participate in their own oppression without blaming the victims ?

Charles Brown


>>> Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> 07/20/99 03:57PM >>>
kelley wrote:


>btw, why is it that polls are frequently attacked on this list for being
>the tripe that they are, but when it comes to a poll that mirrors a view of
>the world that's acceptable then a-okay and hurray to polls.

So the American masses don't really revere the church, the army, and 
cops after all? Were they really disturbed that their military bombed 
the fuck out of some poor slobs in the Balkans, and just kept that 
concern under wraps? Ditto their great underappreciated concern that 
their government has starved and poisoned a million Iraqis? I'd love 
to believe that there were some great untapped reservoirs of 
solidarity and passion, but it's pretty damn hard to see any. Maybe 
I'm just in a bad mood this week.

Doug