Student Protests Against Horowitz Ad]

Charles Brown CharlesB at CNCL.ci.detroit.mi.us
Wed Mar 28 12:59:27 PST 2001



>>> dperrin13 at mediaone.net 03/28/01 02:38PM >>>
Charles Brown wrote:


> Isn't the more important group to persuade the white workers, not the
white middle class ? The vast majority of the population is working class, not middle class .

White workers at the present time don't affect legislation. Of course persuade them and build a bloc; but without even tacit support of the white middle class, or ruling class, if you prefer, forget about getting reparations -- unless we're on the verge of a working-class revolution where reparations won't be needed because socialism will take care of the economic and racial imbalances, etc. Judging from your posts, it seems you find this a distinct possibility.

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CB: Seems to me that we supporters of reparations, a reform goal, should struggle for that reform in a revolutionary manner, i.e. aim to win the legislation through arousing the working class, change the current situation in which white and Black workers have less ( not no) influence on legislation.

The middle class , petit bourgeoisie, are not the ruling class.

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What is the current media terrain ?

Perhaps instead of shooting your TV you should turn it on and see for yourself.

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CB: I have watched TV. That is why I say shoot it. But I was asking what do you think the current media terrain is; why did you mention it in this context ? (((((((((((


>First point above is that there are plenty of examples of workers in
struggle making physical attacks on private property in their protests, so why shouldn't the students follow this working class example. Seems like a very good symbolic act, attacking private property.

Why not a Days of Rage through suburbia, then? Pour gasoline on the manicured lawns of white homeowners and flame them up! That's a *real* symbolic act.

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CB: You are committing a logical fallacy of the type that advocacy of some physical confrontation is advocacy of any and all physical confrontation. Just because someone supports or advocates physical confrontation in one situation does not mean you can tag them with supporting or advocating any wild idea you can think of. What kind of fallacy is that , Justin ?

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>Ever hear of the Boston Tea Party ?

Yes. That was done in a revolutionary period.

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CB: Or was it that the period became revolutionary because of acts like the Boston Tea Party ?

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> Also, as to written words themselves Marx and Malcolm were more
discriminating than you. Some written words are valuable, some written words are worthless. Radicals don't lump all written words together in some sacred category.

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Neither do I. It's just that I don't rip up or burn those written words I find worthless. Did Marx advocate that?

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CB: Did he oppose it ? Afterall, he claimed to have discovered the dictatorship of the proletariat. Don't we have to do some thinking for ourselves, as well as relying on Marx ?

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>Why should radicals confine themselves to a bourgeois legal principle ? And
why are you relying on the bourgeois courts ?

I guess Kunstler wasted his life.

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CB: Did Kunstler advocate confining ourselves to bourgeois legal principle ? Anyway, I am more of attorney Lenin school of jurisprudence. Lenin used the bourgeois courts, but he didn't confine himself to them. Same with attorney Fidel Castro.

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>Seems to me that a clown attacking reparations is the one you want to argue
with in public , since a clown is likely to make the worst arguments against reparations and so will be defeated handily in the public debate.
>
> The opposite of what you say is good tactics. We want to make Horowitz ,
the clown, the posterboy of the anti-reparations crowd

You got him. And look at the result.

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CB: Seems to me we were winning against Horowitz. This whole episode makes us look good and Horowitz look bad, sort of like a childmolestor on campus. The story of the student protest against Horowitz at Duke brought tears to my eyes. A mixed group of students is bringing up Black student protest demands from 1969 !

Why do you think Horowitz is winning ? I say, keep it up ,Horowitz, more people have heard about reparations than ever before. He is forcing white radicals who have been wishy washy on this to find a way to argue against him.



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