On 2013-09-30, at 7:41 AM, Wojtek S wrote:
> Joanna: "It seems like one of the big differences between the working class
> today and that of the thirties is that in the thirties they were actually
> interested in learning, in reading....even in the absence of credentials.
> The commies put out editions of classics that could fit in a worker's
> pocket, and the Tillie Olsens and David Grabers of this world grew up with
> a family engaged in reading/learning/conversation/agitation. And it was
> about learning....consciousness... Where did all that go?"
>
> You need working class institutions to maintain working class
> consciousness. Individuals simply won't do it on their own.
Entirely correct. The conundrum (or dialectic, if you prefer) is that you need working class consciousness to maintain working class institutions. The early unions, cooperatives, and socialist parties issued from a highly exploited workforce concentrated in large factories and neighbourhoods, where workers were in common able to discuss their grievances and to learn the value of solidarity by assisting each other, both materially and through the kind of self-education described above.