[lbo-talk] Marx on the transience of crises

[Carrol Cox]

As merely an empirical observation: the left (when there is a left) has
never, for 200 years, achieved substantial strength and brought about
real change except during the recovery period from some sort of crisis.
This has nothing to do with the left's message or its competence in
delivering that message. Wonderful speeches are wasted in empty
auditoriums, and only during periods of chaos do people on their own
initiative drift within hearing distance of a left voice. Otherwise it
is only a trickkle, never enough to have grat social impact.

The first impact of an economic crisis is to send everyone scurry8ing
for individual salvation and only a few under those conditions will be
attracted to collective struggle. Probably, however, an existing local
left group could/should increase slightly its size and its experience.
But when even an illusory recovery begins, then there is always the
possiblity of real advance. It took ten years or more of economic growth
for the black movement to really get underway, and everything else in
the '60s was an outgrowth of that movement.

Carrol

Michael Perelman wrote:
> 
> Actually, an impending crisis should be a signal for radicals to bear down & get to
> work to be able to make a contribution during the chaos.

How? Get to work doing what? With what resources?

Carrol


> 
> On Sun, Jun 08, 2008 at 09:54:57AM -0400, Doug Henwood wrote:
> >
> > I've said this many times, but that's never stopped me from saying it
> > again. If the left project is so dependent on crisis to do our
> > polemical work for us, then we're doomed. If we can't convince people
> > that the normal operation of capitalism is unjust, violent,
> > alienating, polarizing, etc., then we might as well give up. Because
> > crises do resolve themselves, but the rest goes on. The "normal"
> > should be the issue, not the extraordinary.
> >
> 
> --
> Michael Perelman
> Economics Department
> California State University
> Chico, CA 95929
> 
> Tel. 530-898-5321
> E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
> michaelperelman.wordpress.com
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