On 2011-07-09, at 9:53 AM, shag carpet bomb wrote:
> At 12:08 AM 7/6/2011, Marv Gandall wrote:
>> I'm not an anarchist, and can't conceive of an organized left other than one which organizes itself as a political party or, in unfavourable conditions, as a political tendency within a larger party supported by trade unions and working people, in each case with a clearly defined program and engaging in political activity at all levels of the political process. The historic split between Marxism and anarchism has turned on this issue, which is why I consider Carrol and not a few other embittered former Democrats on the US left to be anarchists in spirit if not in theory, whatever their protestations to the contrary.
>
> Ultimately, I don't understand your complaint Marvin. You just seem to be articulating a position I used to ascribe to Carrol: you people are doomed because you aren't Ogrenizing(tm). You must be Orgrenizing(tm) in order to be serious leftists.
>
> But as I wrote in that essay for South Atlantic Quarterly, this sets the bar far too damn high to the point that most people throw up their hands in despair…
You misunderstood my remarks, Shag. They simply indicate my preference for one form of political action over another; they're not a complaint aimed at those who are not active.
I'm no longer active beyond occasionally attending demos organized by others, so I'm in no position to tell anyone what to do. And even when I was active, I accepted that levels of commitment will vary, both between individuals and over a person's lifetime, depending both on the nature of the period (eg. turbulent/hopeful, stagnant/dispiriting) and personal circumstances (age, job and family responsibilities, fear of state repression).
I respect those who are politically active, but I don't think political activism is the only - or even the best - measure of a person's worth, particularly when there are no significant risks attendant on such activity, such as at present in advanced capitalist societies. We've all met self-absorbed and idiosyncratic activists who we wouldn't trust in a crisis, and, conversely, friends, neighbours, workmates, and relatives who are not presently politically conscious, much less politically active, but whose strength of character and sense of responsibility to others lead us to confidently believe they would be in the front lines of any significant mass challenge to the system.