[lbo-talk] Relativity of class consciousness

[Jim Devine]

On 3/28/06, Charles Brown <cbrown at michiganlegal.org> wrote:
> Class consciousness is a relative, not absolute, quality. It is "ratios" of
> class awareness that matter. With working class consciousness so low in
> North America, the ruling class can almost fly us on automatic pilot. It's
> like shootin' fish in a barrel for the bourgeoisie today. "Literally" an
> Alfred P. Newman-type can do it.

yes, they [the power elite, not the ruling class] can get away with
flying on automatic pilor in the short run. In the short run, they can
try to return the US welfare state to the situation of good old
William McKinley, they can invade Iraq with no justification, they can
install a system of patronage for loyal churches, etc. But it's easy
for this ease to turn into triumphalism, so that the whole enterprise
crashes and burns.
--
Jim Devine / "There can be no real individual freedom in the presence
of economic insecurity." -- Chester Bowles