[lbo-talk] pomo cultural lefties who valorize the poor

[Michael Dawson]

> So the bottom line is that large segments of the US population are
> "responsible" i.e. instrumental in the actions of the US state, they are
> "little Eichmans" or "Hitler's willing executioners" to use the popular
> catch phrases - more so than, say, the Soviets or the Chinese, who do not
> have the choices that the US-sers do.  But that statement does not provide
> much guidance what to do about it - ban them form public life? seek
> collective revenge?  Given these choices, ridiculing some iconic
> representations of the groups of people that make those choices seems
> fairly
> innocuous, indeed.
> 
> Wojtek

But "instrumental" isn't always (or even often) the same as "responsible."
Very, very few Americans are rationally describable as "little Eichmanns,"
to the limited extent that stupid concept means anything.  I suppose you
could call assistant defense secretaries and some CIA operatives that, but
that's about it.

My only point is that working class people are full citizens of a democracy
that is working very, very poorly.  They should stand up and fix it, and
those of us who believe that should avoid calling them names for their
"instrumentality" but also not give them a pass from honest analysis.  We
should explain all the obstacles, but also do so with the expectation and
hope that decent people will fight back.