[lbo-talk] Boycotting the unorganized?

Michael Dawson MDawson at pdx.edu
Thu Jan 20 09:42:13 PST 2005



> Chuck0 wrote:
>
> >I've stated many times that big unions are the left wing of capital.
> >I don't feel the same way about small unions, which includes the one
> >that I'm currently a member of.
>
>
> Doug:
> How can small unions possibly fight big capital? Stuff like this is
> why it's easy to see anarchists as living in a dream world.

Well, if smallness is the goal, then this must be the most unionized society in history -- an anarchist paradise! Our union are so small and decentralized, the vast majority are unions of one! Take that authoritarians.

Meanwhile, I think this whole dumb thread was triggered by Lacny's refusal to think and talk reasonably. He's right that crossing a picket line is probably as close to a moral absolute as you can get, but it is, as are all other human choices, still up to the individual. It's one of those things where how you arrive at the result is as important as the result. What we want is a society where every individual arrives at the conclusion by choice. Simply thundering about it does no good. We need to practice being gentle and, in this case, explaining our first principles. Otherwise, we will get nowhere. The public has already been thoroughly brainwashed to see union leaders as foaming roughnecks. Acting like a foaming roughneck won't pierce that problem.

Meanwhile, my personal guess is that Lacny fancies himself our instructor on labor issues. He certainly always assumes ignorance on our part, and is also quick to display his insider knowledge, which he presumes only he has. This would explain why he think he need to irritate himself by explaining why we shouldn't cross. Of course, I'll eat my computer if there's anybody on this list who has or would ever cross a legitimate labor picket line.



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