[lbo-talk] Constitutional rape

Carrol Cox cbcox at ilstu.edu
Thu Nov 4 18:54:40 PST 2004


DSR wrote:
>
>
>
> And this is why it is time for gay activists to quit acting like
> every day is Stonewall and start acting like sophisticated political
> strategists.
>

One thing and one thing only will give gays safety: a wide population must come to see that it doesn't make any difference what they think of homosexuality, because life in the u.s. won't be worth living unless gays achieve fully equal status with straights. The movements of the '60s died when women, in fighting for the ERA, became sophisticated and polite.

I may not understand what you mean by "sophisticated political strategists," but if I do understand it correctly, you are in practice simply saying that the progressive cause, even in its mildest forms, is dead, and we can only beg the monsters not to be too monstrous.

The long retreat of the left over the last three decades has been mostly due to causes beyond anyone's control. But a secondary effect of that long defeat has been to convince so many potential leftists that the only way to survive is by surrendering. The ABB fiasco was only the most recent instancwe of this weakness.

Under present conditions, no progress can be made. We therefore have to plan our strategy on the assumption that conditions will change in some way favorable to us. (The quagmire in the Middle East may be leading to such a change, and it may not. No crystal ball.) If no such change occurs, we lose. It's o.k. to lose; it's been happening for millenia. It's not o.k. to win and not be prepared to take advantage of the win.

Carrol



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