[lbo-talk] values and social change - WAS Re: Hamid Dabashi on Iran

Miles Jackson cqmv at pdx.edu
Tue Jun 23 16:01:43 PDT 2009


SA wrote:
> The Eastern European communist parties controlled not just a fiercely
> cohesive state but every media outlet, labor union, youth
> organization, civic association, etc., in society - for 50 years. Yet
> they were unable to impose to their values sufficiently to maintain
> their system. Meanwhile the American Revolution created a notoriously
> weak and fractured state with virtually zero direct control over
> organized society, yet its leaders were wildly successful in
> imprinting the stated values of their revolution on much of US society
> for 200+ years and counting. How's that?
>
> SA

Thanks--you're making my point for me! Even though the American Revolution was initially supported by a minority of the population in the colonies, the political success of the militants eventually created a society in which their minority viewpoint became widely held. The social change comes first, and then most people eventually adjust their values and attitudes to adapt to the new social arrangements. See also the Suffragist movement, the Civil Rights movement, etc., etc.

Miles



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