>Even in context, it's still a stupid metaphor, at several levels. As it
>applies to capitalism, "the master's tools" is a much wider set of things
>than just propaganda about race and gender and class. As it applies to
>slavery, the metaphor is simply wrong. The master's tools are the best and
>only way of leveling his house. It's a failed attempt at poetic
>rabble-rousing. This gun shoots backwards. The master's lies hold us down,
>but he's got some tools and a house that we want to take over and turn
>toward better purposes.
Even your target, marketing, which as Ernest Mandel pointed out, offers excellent tools for economic planning - e.g., finding out what people want out of the goods and services they need and long for. When used as a tool of discovery and not of manipulation, market research can be very helpful.
Doug