Date: Fri, 05 Feb 1999 20:17:29 -0800
From: Dave Hayman <dhayman-AT-igc.org>
Subject: Re: Here is a question for yous all!


No one can *know* that struggle will only make things worse. It's a
guess, even if often a good one. If social struggle is deemed wrong
because it might not succeed, what the fuck could be right? Moral, just,
y'know, tending towards equality in political power? Sitting at home and
cursing the tube?

A harder problem is reform: should a revolutionary support a reform that
will make life easier for the workers, and thus relieve revolutionary
pressure, making the revolutionary's dreams yet more distant? A reform
that helps the workers will make some more complacent, but others
stronger and able to fight harder. The question cannot be answered
categorically, I believe; you have to weigh the variables and make the
best guess you can. I tend to go with reform and trust the capitalists
to keep coming up with greater and more shocking atrocities.

When the system breaks down, will avg. persons be more willing to listen
to those who scorned their pleas for help, or those who pitched in and
helped, even while grumbling about being co-opted?

Iain McKay wrote:
> 
> Hi everyone
> 
> I have a question. I'm working on section J.4 of the FAQ
> (J.3 will be on-line in a couple of weeks, btw) and its
> about anarchistic trends in todays society (if anyone
> can find of any, please let me know, but thats not
> the question). I've just done a section on why social
> struggle is a key anarchistic trend in society.
> 
> However, I'm now working on a section called "does
> social struggle do more harm than good?" -- given
> that the net result of social struggle is sometimes
> very bad repression, unemployment, even fascism,
> does this mean that it can only make things worse?
> I have my own viewpoint on this, but I was
> wondering what others thought about it.
> 
> so, any comments? And you never know, they may end
> up in the FAQ...
> 
> Iain