Principled Discoursin' (was Re: [lbo-talk] BDL on Sweezy)

[Carrol Cox]

A general point.  In the Marxist tradition criticism (a) assumes a given
level of unity and (b) moves towards a higher level of unity. It is the
chief technique by which political unity is achieved. If the critic
feels animosity towards the person being criticized, then it probably is
not criticism but polemics -- i.e., aimed at drawing a line along which
opposing sides line up. (Or, often, simply an explosion of personal
pique, which needs merely to be ignored.) _Where_ such lines should be
drawn is probably one of the most 'fertile' sources of significant
debate (friendly or unfriendly) on the left. For example, John Lacny in
calling anti-ABBs traitors has excluded us from the left: that is not a
criticism but a drawing of a sharp line of distinction between "the
left" and "the enemy." We (anti-ABDs) are for John the Enemy. In a post
on the marxism list I took John at his word -- i.e., assumed that he had
no desire to achieve unity with the likes of me, and after referring to
the CPUSA's history as being glorious though marked by many warts,
observed that John was rapidly becoming nothing but a wart. If he
decides he can work with anti-ABBs -- that is, if he can apologize for
calling us traitors -- then I'll have to retract that snarl.

Carrol