File spoon-archives/marxism-international.archive/marxism-international_1997/97-03-18.151, message 51


Date: Mon, 17 Mar 1997 12:59:06 -0500 (EST)
From: Gerald Levy <glevy-AT-pratt.edu>
Subject: M-I: Re: list conduct -- please read


I am wholeheartedly sceptical about the prospect of being able to 
(re) define a rule against repetitions. Let me explain why:

-- Suppose Adolfo or someone else writes a post about Peru -- which they
have *every* right to do (not only in a formal sense, but also because it
is a sight of important class struggle). Now if A.O. or someone else posts
about Peru, don't others have the right to make their thoughts known (even
if the original post was called "news")?

-- Consider the current situation in Albania. How could we possibly
intelligently discuss that subject without an examination of Albania's
past and the current political forces there? Yet, how could we discuss
that question without reference to Maoism, Stalinism, etc..?

-- Suppose we want to discuss Russia or China. How could we possibly
discuss those questions intelligently without discussing topics such as
Stalinism, Trotskyism, state-capitalism, socialism, degenerated and
deformed workers' states, etc.?

-- Suppose we want to discuss the Left in the US. How could we discuss
that subject without discussing the _history_ of the Left in the US?
Doesn't that mean discussing social democracy, Stalinism, Trotskyism,
sectarianism, reformism, etc?

-- Suppose we want to discuss South Africa. What subjects would that
require us to confront?

-- Suppose we want to re-address the question of the strikes in France.
Wouldn't we have to discuss the  positions of the political
parties on the Left in France? Wouldn't we then have to discuss social
democracy, eurocommunism, popular and united fronts, etc?

In other words, the *reason* why there is repetition is that there are a
core of political disagreements among listmembers. If we don't want to
discuss any subjects where these "repetitious" concerns come up, what
will we have left to be able to discuss? The weather?

Jerry



     --- from list marxism-international-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---


   

Driftline Main Page

 

Display software: ArchTracker © Malgosia Askanas, 2000-2005