Date: Mon, 17 Dec 2001 11:02:10 -0800 (PST) From: mikus <idlehandsdistro-AT-yahoo.com> Subject: Re: AUT: For Communism OOPS, haha, didn't realize that he posted them on this list. Suppose i should let him speak for himself... sorry about that Mike --- Sergio Fiedler <s.fiedler-AT-unsw.edu.au> wrote: > Hi everyone, > > These articles are really a good read, but > unfortunately they ended up > just replicating the old leninist/trotquist/ > anacho-sydicalist critique > of identity politics and silly statements about > denying democratic > rights to communists from burgeois society within > the organisation, as > if communism did not arise from the conditions > created by capitalism > itself, or as if a class position determined > mechanistically the > ideology of comrade. If Floyce is in fact for > creating communism now he > would also advocate to abolish class division about > communists > themselves. Again many stalinist and trotquists > parties always procured > to retain a proletarian majority within their > central committees, that > did not make the politics of those parties less > problematic. > > By genuinely attempting to address the pitfalls of > identity politcis > within the left, Floyce ends up bending the stick > too much to the other > side, considering as desirable and positive an > homogeneous working > class. This approach deny the fact that the unequal > relations of power > within the class are real, and while working class > men might not > directly benefit IN THE LONG RUN from the oppression > of women, the > former in most cases participate activelly in the > extraction of unpaid > labour by capital from the latter. The rejection of > the sexual > revolution is equally problematic as if changes in > people's sexual > behaviour were irrelevant to the reproduction of > capitalism, > > To live communism in the here and now is really > about transforming the > struggle against system and exodus from the system > into a process of > transforming social relations, and open the > possibilities for human > beings belonging to the proletariat to present > themselves not simply as > working class but as collectivety and multiplicity > of needs and desires. > Certainly the differences created by capitalism > atomise and fragment tle > class, but that process of difference through > atomisation goes hand in > hand with processes of homogenisation like the > reduction of everything > to exchange value. So where capitalism creates > atomisation, communism > attempts to create unity (or as Deleuze would say, > univocity); but where > capitalism creates unity and sameness, communism > attempts to create > difference and multiplicty. > > I think the articles needs a better definition of > "small capitalists". > Often street vendors or out-workers fit technically > the definition of > "small capitalist" in classical Marxist framework, > however they continue > to be merciless exploited by corporations through a > market regulated > social factory. > > cheers > > Sergio > > Floyce White wrote: > > > AGAINST SOCIALISM--FOR COMMUNISM > > A Message to All Activists in the Struggle for > Peace > > > > September 29, 2001 by Floyce White > > > > Today we gather to oppose President Bush's threats > to > > launch a war of revenge--really a war for conquest > of > > oil and gas fields and poppy fields. I too am > > saddened and horrified by the depraved acts of > murder > > committed by terrorist hijackers September 11. > But I > > will allow neither warmongering nor pacifist > > "non-politicization" to dissuade me from > discussing > > these urgent issues with fellow activists. > > > > Peace is the natural, cooperative condition of > > humanity. Warfare is an anti-social aberration > that > > can be ended permanently. Peace is a way of life, > not > > merely an interval between attacks. Our struggle > is > > to end the entire system that causes war and > violence. > > > > Every violent act and threat of harm is based on a > > mistaken idea: that one person should tell > another > > what to do. Power over others is achieved by > claiming > > possession of the things that other people use. > Power > > over others becomes a method of human relations--a > > social system--in which every thing, every place, > > every idea is someone's property. > > > > Ownership takes the actual form of society divided > > into classes. The upper class consists of > inheritance > > units--families--that make huge claims of > ownership. > > Economic and political oppression comes as the > rich > > enforce their claims. Employers, landlords, > > merchants, and investors are the instigators of > > coercion and war. For this reason, rich people > must > > not be invited to participate in peace activities. > > > > The lower class consists of the great majority > whose > > claims of ownership do not go beyond items of > personal > > use. These dispossessed families are forced to > sell > > themselves as laborers to the possessing rich. > > Working-class people are exploited, but do not > exploit > > others for property gain. This concern for others > > before one's self is the only source of peace; > > therefore, the struggle of the working class to > end > > capitalism is the same as the struggle to end > warfare. > > > > We must advocate action based on the > self-organization > > of the working class. We must reject the elitist > > notion that poor people are somehow unable to > > comprehend theory or practice. To the > contrary--the > > poorest people are the best informed about actual > > conditions and are the most capable of directing > > struggle. We must oppose any philosophy that > tends to > > limit the participation of poor people. Concepts > of > > race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, sexual > > revolution, male chauvinism, experts or authority > > figures, and the like are just excuses for the > > existing structure of oppression. Comrades from > > capitalist family origins must step aside and > become > > sympathizers without voice and vote. > > > > For many years, the goal of the movement against > > capitalism was called "socialism." Socialists > adopted > > the idea of maximizing state (public) property > while > > retaining most other forms of family (private) > > property. The reality of so-called "socialist > > countries" or "workers' states"--such as the USSR > or > > China--was rule by petty capitalist clans that > > individually were not big enough to control heavy > > industry. They exploited the working class > directly > > through small business, and indirectly through > > government-owned big business with a hired > bureaucracy > > of privileged management workers--many of who were > > from petty-bourgeois families. As soon as these > > families accumulated enough power to wrest control > of > > heavy industry, they dropped their fiction of > being > > pro-worker. > > > > Nationalization is part of the ordinary > organization > === message truncated == __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Check out Yahoo! Shopping and Yahoo! Auctions for all of your unique holiday gifts! Buy at http://shopping.yahoo.com or bid at http://auctions.yahoo.com --- from list aut-op-sy-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
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