>Yes. The 'twenties. Eighty years ago. Sometime between then and now we
>seem to have gone back up to the top of the slide so we can slide down
>again to the _current_ decadence. Which is precisely the problem with
>the metaphor of decadence for capitalist societies. They are always
>starting over again. Just a few weeks ago Doug was emphasizing the
>"flexibility" of capitalism in an area where there is in fact, no
>flexibility, that of global warming. Now he and you are denying one of
>the most obvious features over a period of several hundred years of
>capitalism: that the shennanigans of one element of the ruling class and
>its hangers-on tell us nothing about the health or non-health of the
>system.
>
>If you go back and read these lists (this one and the Spoons marxism
>list) about 7to5 years ago you will find that THE great weakness of THE
>LEFT was jargon. Now Doug wants to cling to one of the silliest of
>socialist cliches.
You're funny. A revolutionary who seems to subscribe to some sort of static theory of history (nothing new under the son), an aleatoric theory of history (shit happens), or some sort of eternal recurrence theory of history.
Two points. One difference between the 1920s and today is that the US was barely an imperial power then, and today it's been top dog for about 60 years. And two, I also said I didn't think the decadence was irreversible. I'm looking to Hillary to save the empire's bacon.
Doug