Humans will be liberated through the creation of abundance in a world economy planned rationally -- not through self-denial, obscurantism and boot-licking. (Brother Mage made very important contributions toward this end only a few decades ago.)
Getting a cheap, high-quality big-screen TV into everyone's home may not be a high priority in a world where billions lack adequate nutrition, housing, education, healthcare and employment -- but it will a marginally good thing not a bad thing.
Richard Gere and you and your buddies can go live on some island and perfect yourselves through nothingness. Just don't spam the rest of us, who need to get by in the material world.
>From: "Brian Charles Dauth" <magcomm at ix.netcom.com>
>Reply-To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
>To: <lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org>
>Subject: [lbo-talk] Re: biz ethics/slavery/groups/constitutional rights
>Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2004 23:50:51 -0400
>
>Dear List:
>
>Mike writes:
>
> > I see the destruction of self as a masochistic, social psychological
>tendency--a kind of self-immolation, if you will.
>
>Why can't you see it as a liberation? If we immolate the self as it is
>presently constructed and substitute a more realistic understanding, why is
>that masochistic? Isn't maintaining a notion of self that facilitates
>exploitation the masochistic act?
>
> > The destruction of self is an important aspect of political power,
>domination by another
>person or in the case of say, capitalist social relations, acquiensence to
>the domination of the ruling capitalist class.
>
>Yet it is the actuality of the self (as you conceive it) that permits
>exploitation and domination. Why support such a pathology?
>
> > The destruction of political power and thus domination of one person by
>another, should be a general principle of the movement toward greater
>freedom.
>
>Agreed.
>
> > It is in the class interests of all individual wage-slaves to have in
>mind the strategic goal of abolishing the wage system for this will result
>in the overturning of capitalist class domination, reulsting in more
>freedom
>and justice for all : one planet without gods or dominators--a democratic
>association of producers where the conditions for the freedom of each are
>the conditions for the freedom of all.
>
>But don't class interests arise from self-interest? And if self-interest
>is
>toxic, then class interest is just toxicity squared. If you are concerned
>with freedom, why do you want to ensnare people in the slavery of
>self/class
>interests?
>
> > Class interests don't negate the individual, they only negate narrow,
>bourgeois self-interest where one person's freedom is based on another's
>un-freedom.
>
>Can you define the self in terms other than self-interest?
>
>Brian Dauth
>Queer Buddhist Resister
>
>
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