I see... You are expecting everybody to just magically get themselves organized and smash the state based on the *theory* that it might happen, but when it comes to actually doing something tentative (seminal?) it's never enough, or *big* enough, or focused enough...
...effective enough.
It reminds me of a dysfunctional family badgering an underachieving child.. it's never good enough.
In a nutshell, you are prescribing stasis.
It isn't effective, so don't bother?
A real coalition builder!
To me it has that totalitarian, "Do my thing instead, although I can't tell you what it is. It's way too complex for a pissant like you to understand." attitude that's gotten so many intellectuals lined up against a wall and shot over the years.
How does a "good" marxist (you?) measure effectiveness, anyway?
In relation to what?
I'm sure ya 'all will tell me what YOU think is effective action. I'm waiting eagerly... Tell me.
I find your approach quite alienating, and honestly, the thing I've always despised about "leftist dialogue" is the often absolute inability to do anything but critique each other's ideas destructively, instead of acting and expanding on them in a manner that has any social or cultural impact whatsoever.
(Hint: Adbusters isn't socially ineffectual, but most marxist orgs are...)
And that's what I see when I read diatribes like this:
"Here's another question: What percentage of the population would hold a copy of adbusters in their hands for more than 30 seconds? For a thing that claims to be smashing corporate marketing tactics, it's pretty damned reliant on conveying winking flatteries to its eency-beency audience of hipster "activists." Two frauds does not make a truth."
Yah... you know the truth... I am *so* tempted to use the "f" word. (fundamentalist, fascist, fanatic, others come to mind...)
[Zzzzzzzzzzz] L
----- Original Message ----- From: Michael Dawson To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org Sent: Thursday, December 30, 2004 12:16 PM Subject: RE: [lbo-talk] Re: one day "shopping" boycott
Here's another question: What percentage of the population would hold a copy of adbusters in their hands for more than 30 seconds? For a thing that claims to be smashing corporate marketing tactics, it's pretty damned reliant on conveying winking flatteries to its eency-beency audience of hipster "activists." Two frauds does not make a truth.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org [mailto:lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org]
> On Behalf Of frank scott
> Sent: Thursday, December 30, 2004 12:00 PM
> To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
> Subject: [lbo-talk] Re: one day "shopping" boycott
>
> these things are well intentioned, but hardly effective given the small
> groups that promote them...
>
> now if something called the american labor movement actually existed and
> called for a boycott, aimed at a major commercial enterprise, that might
> amount to something positive...but this? agree with michael d, that most
> who participate will just put off spending one day to do it the
> next...so?
>
> further, if such a thing could actually happen, and "everyone" did not
> spend any money in any shop or enterprise, an awful lot of small
> businesses would suffer greatly, and some even go belly up, while large
> enterprise would simply make up the difference the next day...
>
> we need better planning, and actions , than this sort of thing, which
> may seem to feel good, but won't really do much material good...
>
> fs
>
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