[lbo-talk] Re: boycotting the unorganized (miidle class)

Doug Henwood dhenwood at panix.com
Wed Jan 26 10:37:59 PST 2005


ravi wrote:


>amadeus amadeus wrote:
>> It's also important to mention that a section of the
>> interests of special oppressions, as Turbulo called
>> them, will run antithetical to the class struggle.
>> Some of the intelligentsia will be able to (or at
>> least think they're able to) secure a cozy position
>> within bourgeois society, and thus will shout down
>> those seeking to overturn capitalism as "racist,"
>> "homophobic," "sexist," etc.
>>
>> While clearly they should be making every attempt to
>> unite rather than divide the working class along
>> identity lines, communists and labor organizers should
>> be prepared to be subjected to the worst slights
>> associated with political incorrectness.
>>
>
>doug,
>
>after reading the above, whom do you think is dealing with
>hypotheticals? in the above, without having established (at least
>onlist) that class struggle is fundamental and thorough-going while
>other oppressions are special, the hypothetical train rolls on at full
>steam, suggesting that accusations of racism, homophobia, etc are from
>some cozy bourgeoisie or are slights associated with political correctness.
>
>so, on the one hand, we have brian's concrete (not hypothetical) example
>of sexual identity discrimination by the IBEW. otoh, you have the
>suggestion that labour organizers should be prepared (by which i assume
>they should be prepared to effective reject) for accusations of such
>discrimination, such accusations being ones of political correctness.
>
>you will agree, i hope, that this is clearly not a trivial argument
>about exceptions.

The debate was originally about picket lines, and reasons to justify crossing them. My position is that while there are possibile exceptions to the Do Not Cross rule, they weren't relevant to any real world circumstance I know of, or seems likely. In classic labor struggles against the boss, taking labor's side is almost axiomatic.

But I have no patience for that kind of ranking of struggles that Turbulo and amadeus^2 are trafficking in. Yeah sure there will be some women, queers, and people of color who do The Man's dirty work. But that's not really relevant to real struggles against sexism, homophobia, and racism. And the class struggle doesn't trump everything else. That sort of argument is like saying "Shut up and wait for the revolution." Well, the revolution isn't imminent, and the discriminations are real and can be remedied in the here & now. A phrase like "special oppressions" sounds a little like "special rights" that bigots use to dismiss gay right. I say the hell with that.

Doug



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