[lbo-talk] so . . .

Carrol Cox cbcox at ilstu.edu
Mon Aug 30 19:28:14 PDT 2010


SA wrote:
>
>Let
> me ask you, Dennis, how many viewers or listeners does your favorite
> far-left political broadcast get?

This is an issue which cannot be even more than superficially stated on an e-mail list, let alone thrashed out in an complexity. But the far left does not exist in the United States today. There are probably one or two million w ho would more or less agree with a far left if one came into existence. (I'll drop "far" now -- it is irrelevant.) But even when A Left comes into existence, it will probably no get any TV time, nor need any.

A Left exists through a network of direct relations, in action. This was the case even during the century or so in which A Left, when it existed, existed around a core or hegemonic political party (2d/3d Internationals) But that will never be the case again in the U.S. and probably in many large capitalist states. We can't know what it will look like, since history never repeats, but the '60s give us a better perspective than the '30s or pre WW1. Unity will consist in shifting agreements _in practice_ on particular issues rather than formal agreement. And while leftists will have to avoid becoming infatuated with The Web (Web petitions are silly) e-mail communication can greatly enhance political relations otherwise grounded.

Look. The probability is that the 21st century will be even worse than the barbarism into which the world sank after 1914. Luxemburg was right, and no other term but barbarism is accurate for the last 100 years. It will get worse.

I have no way of knowing whether the alternative to capitalism, if achieved, will work. That is crystal-ball gazing. I do know that capitalism will get worse and worse, mroe and more destructive, both in bad times and good times. (That's why the recent thread "Where are we" was silly.)

There is no "force" twoards improvement built into hisotyr; nothing to gurantee that we will escape the barbarism in which we exist. Certainly no tinkering with capitalism will make a difference.

But humans are capable of struggling without particular hope of success. It's a commonplace of the last 4 millenia or so.

We try to organize resistance groups in our local areas (anti-war, living wage, immigrant rights, what have you). We try to link those struggles with similar struggles elsewhere and, whenever possible, try to build regional and national cooperating links among these struggles. As Napoleon, One Acts and then sees what happens.

Beck? Who is he? Really, can't you find some better entertainment.

Carreol



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