"The Peasant Associations' Own Slogan" was Re: Reply to Doug

[Carrol Cox]

Doug Henwood wrote:

>
> Oh really? Who coined it do you think? From having gone to several
> demos and talked to many participants, my sense is that the
> practitioners generated and propagated the slogan. Perhaps you have
> different information, which I'd be happy to hear.

Yes -- and they will probably improve it some day. I certainly couldn't
match it now.

My only real question is could this slogan as it stands generate debate
in less narrow circles than is now the case. The debates over it on lbo
were pretty good -- but they never developed into debates among those
who *accepted* the slogan. The best slogans do generate such debate
among those who accept them. Suppose you got an invitation to speak
on the fight against WTO to a union caucus. The slogan as it stands
would help define a preliminary position. But it would not guide
discussions of the struggle amongst three different union caucuses in
three different locations with three different discussion leaders (none
of whom knew each other).

As a footnote to this whole discussion. I can't remember the exact
wording
of it, but during Mao's lifetime a slogan something like "Put grain at
the
head" (this is not quite correct) served to *unify* or potentially unify

peasants with each other and with urban workers. The "slogans"
that have replaced it, as far as I know, tend to the opposite.

Carrol

P.S. When in the hell were you reading a book by Avakian? You have
the oddest reading lists.