[lbo-talk] Islam and socialism

JBrown72073 at cs.com JBrown72073 at cs.com
Mon Oct 29 11:46:22 PDT 2007



>These impoverished masses who will become the
"Multitude" of the future far outnumber us, and it's a little frightening to think that they now control the agenda. Doug's point that there are plenty of worthy political actions to pursue (single-payer health, support of labor, lving wage, etc) is a valid one, but in a sense we are just making capitalism a better capitalism (as FDR did), while capitalism' real destiny is unfolding elsewhere.
>
>BobW

What I find 'a little frightening' is the prospect that the resistance won't go far or fast enough to prevent substantially more damage to humanity and the planet. Well, this is an old argument about making capitalism better, but it depends how you approach it and whether you're building consciousness or not. For example, eliminating a whole subsector of capital (health insurance) is hard to interpret as making capital better. It would remove a big source of money and power. The power derives not just from the money but from workers' dependence on jobs for health care under the current system. If you pick your reforms right, they can build the power of the have-nots. And who knows, maybe reforms that big, up against our bramble of interlocking state and corporate power, will require something more than a reform agenda. It wouldn't be the first time, and you can't tell unless you try.

Jenny Brown



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