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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dwane:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>"We spend a fair amount of time here debating various<BR>competing
explanations of why American political<BR>culture is what it is."</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Yes, and I think the time is well spent. But
I don't think precious time should be wasted on specious "national character"
or "American exception" hypotheses. Maybe that's for the sorry
culture-psychology classroom, but not for a responsible discussion
list like LBO that's more concerned with political economy.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I would assume that the predominate U.S. national
culture/character/ personality derives principally from concrete access to
resources, rather than some genetic set of traits inherited from past
ethnicity, nationality, culture, or economic systems. Not to say that
these traits are unimportant in the 'middle range' of analysis, and sometimes
rise to temporary primary significance. Only to say that we must get our
causal priorities (thus, our theories) right.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Last weekend I journeyed from Detroit to
Williams Bay, Wisconsin for the three day Midwest Social Forum,
attended mostly by Wisconsin rad-libs (remember Arnold Kaufmann's "The Radical
Liberal" in the 70s?). The 350 registrants were surely
sweet, friendly people, and 'progressive.' Perhaps 10
percent were people of color. Not many attendees would be
considered proletarian. It was like a large middle
class extended family coming together for mutual support and inspiration,
and a little education. Readers on this list have gone to many such
gatherings. It's the choir. </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>The U. S.
has hundreds of thousands (millions?) of rad-libs who generally support
color and gender equalization and socialist-type solutions to today's
problems. They're all over the country. There are even more who
don't go to progressive social forums but are fair minded and moderately
open to 'radical' ideas. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Conspicuously absent from most of the Social Forum
sessions were community-based or union-based proposals on how to
organize for change. I mean the real down-to-earth stuff. The
educated middle class isn't particularly into this. Most, admittedly or
not, have bought into <FONT face=Arial size=2>upward mobility and hard work
to gain access to resources. That's the dominant U.S. culture in my
opinion, and it crosses all divisions of U. S. social life. Rad-libs are
good at organizing anti-war marches, pep meetings, and educational seminars,
but most shy away from real grass roots, rank 'n file
organizing. It's not in their direct
interests. </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face=Arial size=2>I reckon
that organizers and theorists in the future must carefully review U.
S. class dynamics in order to see the way. It may mean a renewed
appreciation for the necessity of leadership coming from the grass roots
community, aided and abetted by rad-libs with their abundant
resources.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Bob Mast</DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>