>shag carpet bomb wrote:
> >
> > At 02:21 PM 5/8/2009, Carrol Cox wrote:
>
> >First of all, it is seriously
>misrepresenting the factional struggles to
> >link _only_ PLP to "mao." RYM was if
>anything _more_ "maoist" than PLP,
> >or at laeast claimed to be.
>
>
>This is interesting. From the Weatherman's perspectives -- the folks he
>interviewed for this book, as well as his reading of original sources,
>biographies, memoirs, etc., this doesn't get brought up as an issue of
>competing Maoists, at least not in this section. He writes later that
>the Weatherman were "ok" with the NLF negotiating with the US, whereas
>the PL thought they were sell outs. Hence, the Ho, Ho, Ho Chi Minh, the
>NLF is gonna win chant. If I've got that right.
>
>==========
>
>A quick partial response to just this paragraph.
>
>One of the disconcerting features of PLP was the quickness with which
>its line changed. If your source doesn't _date_ its various references
>to PLP, then this would create considerable confusion.
Oh. Well, it's a book about the Weather Underground, so references to the PL only come up when necessary. I don't blame him for not going into depth about PL politics. It's a fairly long book as it is, it would have been even longer with the inclusion of more about the PL politics. He does date references to the PL's position, locating them specifically as they were uttered at the convention and doing so day by day.
My only point in that initial quote was that I'd found it interesting, in light of the recent claims about you and Mao: the PL faction apparently had a reputation for being dogmatic quoters of all things Mao, since the RYM factions used that stereotype to mock them. The quote about the mocking came from the article in Guardian by Jack Smith.
After reading this and what Max said, I looked in the index to see where else he mentions Mao/Maoism. He notes from time to time that, to paraphrase (left the book on porch), the entire student left was under the grip of Maoist politics. It does seem kind of weird that more attention was paid to that, since both you and Max are noting the bit about Maoist influences. (BTW, yes, he does reference "the Albania Question" as one of the more absurd examples of sectarianism.)
On place he says this is his discussion of the implosion of WUO, 1976 0 1979. There, he maintains, quoting Bernadine Dohrn, that everyone was focused on "the primary contradiction." "The problem" Dohrn said in her interview, "was that everyone was focused on the primary contradiction and never got to the secondary contradiction." (paraphrase)
Because I'm busy getting all my crap ready to sell in a yard sale or give away, I didn't have time to surf around and learn more. I vaguely recall this phrase from feminist reading but don't recall context or meaning. Google yields stuff about Russia as the primary contradiction, as well as some ref about Japan being the primary contradiction for China.
What does the phrase mean? Or, probably more importantly, what did iit mean then.
Also, in surfing, I saw this poster: http://www.genderracepower.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/the-system-top-to-bottom.gif
what's it from? Anyone know.
I will probably writer Berger, who i've already been in contact with, to ask him about Maoism, etc. etc., once I get an idea in mind of what my questions should be.
One thing too: maybe he's just trying to write from the WUO perspective, so they've maybe got some stake in not associating themselves with Maoism so much? don't know.
and TIA for any reflections/thoughts on the primary contradiction.
shag
