[lbo-talk] Depression always precedes ice breaking (was, OK, Nathan)

[Michael Hoover]

>>> jdevine03 at gmail.com 02/03/06 4:06 PM >>>
FWIW, in 1964 Herbert Marcuse wrote "One-Dimensional Man," which  said
(if I remember correctly) that the cores of both capitalist and Soviet
societies were locked up tight, so that no change would come, except
for "marginal" populations pushing it. He wasn't optimistic about the
latter, either. The book was pretty popular among the small left of
the time.  But in 1968, there were major mass movements in the cores
of Czechoslovakia, France, and the US. with the first two involving
the working class in a major way.
Jim Devine
<<<<<>>>>>

worth quite a bit, imo...

_odm_ themes had appeared in marcuse's writing for sometime prior
to publication of that book, while presenting both cold war blocs as 
anti-revolutionary (and antagonistic to socialism), marcuse's claims
that liberal-democracy was - on one hand - being destroyed *and* - 
on the other - was being absorbed into established mode of domination 
*should* resonate still, providing a framework for understanding 
'dialetical trap' of last couple of decades...

while marcuse never completely abandoned the totalizing conception
of domination that permeates _odm_, he moved away to some degree
pretty quickly in pointing to potential for change emanating from new 
social movements/opposition, unfortunately, one-sided *pessimissm* 
of _odm_ moved towards one-sided *optimism* in likes of _essay on
liberation_ and _counter-revolution and revolt_...   mh