[lbo-talk] Sam Smith on Doug Henwood

B. docile_body at yahoo.com
Fri Feb 9 14:12:38 PST 2007


Doug (regarding the statement Colin Brace quoted below),

So then how do we even begin to battle this deeply-entrenched cultural foundation? Chip away, generation by generation, at what would seem like a snail's pace? Consciousness-raising and agitating may make some leeway but the overall progress against what you mention is pretty disheartening. "Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will," I suppose, as Gramsci said.

-B.

Colin Brace quotes Sam Smith, who wrote:
>
http://prorev.com/2007/02/left-business-observer-hits-20.htm
>
> But Henwood shoots two well-aimed holes in the
argument:
>
> - "[Richard Hofstadter] made the now largely
forgotten point that
> American Protestants have long had a deep sympathy
for The Market.
> Since they see humans as fallen, corrupt creatures
always in need of a
> good kick in the ass, they revere it as a wonderful
mechanism of
> social discipline, punishing the lazy and rewarding
the hard-working.
> If people are poor, it's because they're immoral,
impatient, or
> wasteful.". . .Henwood notes the acceptance of this
fantasy explains
> "why there's been so little political price paid for
the economic
> march back to the 19th century."



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