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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>(Part 1 of two parts)<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Dennis Raymond's opened this thread on </span></font><st1:date
Month="8" Day="12" Year="2004"><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>8/12/04</span></font></st1:date><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>. Subsequently,
a related thread called “Productivity” was opened.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>While I was contemplating the question What IS the
left<span class=GramE>?,</span> a friend of the Marxist-Leninist persuasion
phoned and I asked how he would define the 'left.' He said something
like, "Well, there's the baby-killing, war-criminal right and then
there's the 'left' which has more empathy for the material needs of their
fellow citizens." I asked, "Is the 'left' imperialist?"
He responded yes. I asked, "Is Michael Moore 'left' and is he
imperialist?" With that, my friend decided he
needed to think more about the question. </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Two recent Detroit-area events were arranged by activists
whose hard-left credentials go way back.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>
</span>First, hundreds of flyers were distributed to patrons of “The
Corporation” at two local cinemas, to promote a public discussion at a
local church.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Three off-the-street
people attended.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Second, 100 invitations
to a rare general membership meeting of a local political-labor body were sent
via </span></font><st1:country-region><st1:place><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>U.S.</span></font></st1:place></st1:country-region><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> mail.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Exclusive of the organizers, five members
attended (average age = about 60).<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>The
good news:<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>these meetings were held.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>The bad news:<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>
</span>attendance was lousy.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Other meetings in the </span></font><st1:City><st1:place><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Detroit</span></font></st1:place></st1:City><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> area were being
held at the same time.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>I’m aware
of the details of some, but most receive little attention.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>While harder-left groups hold regular study
groups and strategy-seeking sessions, the vast majority of gatherings could be
called quasi-left or ‘progressive’ or ‘liberal.’<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Depending on the class and race base, these
meetings involve the somewhat separate issues of brute survival, some form of
civil/human rights, some form of charity, the environment, and some aspect of
foreign policy.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Some call these efforts
single issue subtexts of a broader peace and justice movement.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Most deal with reform, not revolution, though
success in any individual issue (e.g. total peace, living wage jobs for all,
removal of racism) would require revolutionary change in political economy.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Many experienced, aging lefties are helping
lead these community activist efforts, but they’ve laundered their left
language and perhaps some of their left ideology as an adjustment to current
‘sensibilities’ and state monitoring.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Most leadership comes from local citizens
with local interests; some from those with broader horizons.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Are these really ‘left’ activities?<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Depends on the criteria used to define the
left and where it falls on a left-right political continuum.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>I believe its CNN’s “Crossfire”
that pits ‘left’ against ‘right’ spokespersons, where
the continuum’s mid point is as close to the right pole as could be
imagined.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>This distortion, also
practiced by upwardly mobile academics and other opinion molders, effectively
wipes out the structural-material base of analysis.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>This leaves vague cultural or identity
factors for everyone to argue about, with no serious attention to economic
ownership and control.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>In my earlier
days teaching political or economic sociology, the left pole of my continuum
represented ‘pure’ socialism with the right pole being
‘pure’ capitalism.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Somewhat
to the left of the mid point I placed New Deal, social democratic models.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>How times have temporarily changed!<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>(to be continued)<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Bob Mast<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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