[lbo-talk] Who knew? John McCain on disability, gets checks

[B.]

Yeah, I get that, but it's unhelpful to simply say
that X is not the proper "left" position, as Carroll
is wont to do, so therefore it's rubbish. Something
should be explained in terms of why it's a
wise/good/desirable alternative, not because it fits
in with what "the left's" (which doesn't exist,
according to Carrol) positions are. Otherwise you're
just rapping folks on the knuckles for stepping out of
line.

It's like in Trotskyism, castigating something because
it isn't properly Trotskyist --  as opposed to
castigating it because it is just a bad thing. Maybe
the two will be the same (wage slavery), maybe not
("defend the deformed workers' state of Cuba," etc.).

Carrol's online "ex cathedra" persona isn't very
helpful in this regard. The Coxshaft school bus
generally provides a one way trip to Fatalism, though.

-B.

shag wrote:

"i think there's a distinction to be made here. 'Good'
according to a Liberal in the u.s. is most definitely
not the same thing as 'Good'
according to someone who uses a class analysis to
understand the operations  of power in society. [...]
It doesn't follow that there is only one left
position, obviously."