File spoon-archives/marxism-intro.archive/marxism-intro_2001/marxism-intro.0112, message 40


Date: Wed, 05 Dec 2001 20:03:47 -0700
Subject: Re: M-INTRO: TNC Problem (to slcathena)
From: steelwool-AT-pseud.pseud


No one has asked you "to turn a blind eye to the majority of the world's
population that suffers so that I can have so many opportunities".  But the
beauty in a democracy is that you have the opportunity to make a difference.
If you lived in a socialist country and your job was making shoes, that
would be all you could do.  How then would you help the "majority of the
world's population that suffers"?  You couldn't you would be making shoes.
You would have no choice.  You need to realize that it is democracy that
gives you the opportunity to worry about those people.

Your second point about not wanting to own the means of production, well
that's great, you have that option.  Maybe you want to work for the Peace
Corps., or Greenpeace, or Amnesty International.  These are all wonderful
organizations that focus on helping those in need; I mean no insult to these
groups.  But again realize, where these groups began their roots.
Greenpeace started with a protest in Alaska in 1971.  Amnesty International
was founded in London, 1961.  And last, but definitely not least, The Peace
Corp.; can you guess who started that?  Why it was the US government back in
1961, and still is a government agency to this day.  What you need to
realize is these organizations are wonderful, and needed, but were all borne
of democracy and the freedom of speech.  Do you here about any new groups
popping up in socialist countries that focus on the "majority of the world's
population that suffers"?  I sure don't.

Your example of Martin Luther King, Jr. is a perfect example of someone NOT
satisfied with the status quo.  He saw problems and went out and made
changes, that is what a democracy is all about.  These changes took a long
time, and were needed so much earlier in history, but that is not the fault
of democracy that is the fault of people.  You can not say a system does not
work simply because people who are in the system are failing!  Do you think
in China his non-aggressive revolt would have survived?  I tell you this,
the military, not the citizenry would have put a stop to his movement.



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