[lbo-talk] gloom

Chuck chuck at mutualaid.org
Wed Nov 21 08:05:29 PST 2007


Carrol Cox wrote:


> I think a worthwhile discussion would be what we can do now (= as long
> as there is no catastrophe) to prepare in our thinking and organizing to
> be in a better position to build the left during those years when
> because of economic crash we won't be able to build much.

We've gone over this before, but some of us vehemently disagree with the idea that economic bad times are bad for leftism. Doug has stated several times that he believes that the Seattle anti-WTO protests only happened because the economy was "good" at that time under President Clinton.

I've disagreed with this deterministic take on when social change happens, arguing that people who make social change are free agents who collectively determine when "upswings" in dissent and activism happen. Of course, sometimes these upswings build on, and are reactions too, ongoing campaigns related to specific targets or issues.

At this point, I want to point out the middle class bias underlying this idea that the Left's fortune's rise and fall based on economic booms and busts. For most working people out there, there has been nothing but an economic bust for many decades. I think they would scoff at leftists who sit around making excuses as to why our social change movements aren't doing more. They don't have the luxury to wait around until the economy is "doing better."

Chuck0

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