Date: Sat, 21 Feb 1998 09:44:43 -0500
From: Louis Proyect <lnp3-AT-columbia.edu>
Subject: Re: M-I: State of the World


James Heartfield:
>What is odd is that you think that industrial advance makes peoples'
>lives worse, when the life expectancy of people in the developed world
>is so much greater than that in the underdeveloped.

Mr. Heartfield, I am not sure what you mean by industrial advance. I am
only familiar with terms like capitalism and imperialism. Imperialism is
the main obstacle to social and economic justice in the developing
countries. For example, the NY Times reported several weeks ago that
Ecuador is now oil-free. The multinationals have drained the last pint of
the stuff and left behind a stinking, toxic mess. The farmers and fishers
of the local economy are now facing declining economic prospects because of
environmental ruin. Ecuadorian courts are now hearing a case that will
force the oil companies to pay for the damage. This is what capitalism
does--it destroys peoples' lives. Life expectancy is only one measure of
social and economic achievement. It doesn't matter if you can provide cheap
antibiotics to an Ecuadorian villager if they live a life of beggary.

Socialists like myself defend the Cuban road to "economic progress," a term
that you throw about from time to time. Unless there are revolutions to
overthrow capitalism, there are no long-term economic gains as South
Korea's current problems point out.

At one time the group you belonged to defended socialism, albeit in an
ultraleft, sectarian manner. What is fascinating is how you retain the
ultradogmatic debating style of Trotskyite subculture, but deploy it in the
service of monopoly capitalism. I can see Trotsky spinning in his grave. If
you hooked up a generator to the coffin, you probably could supply enough
electricity to satisfy the needs of a large city for a year.

Louis Proyect



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