File spoon-archives/marxism-thaxis.archive/marxism-thaxis_1997/97-01-24.005, message 124


Date: Wed, 22 Jan 1997 07:21:29 -0500 (EST)
From: Gerald Levy <glevy-AT-pratt.edu>
Subject: Re: M-TH: Trust


Chris Burford wrote:

> I would say in the concrete example Jerry asks us to consider, that
> if there was some sort of people's court, say a discussion among
> 8 or 10 influential members of the community in somone's living room,
> some would speak up and say, a rape is totally unacceptable and the
> individual is banned from co-operation and exiled from the community
> for ever. Some would agree. But what if some others said, this
> man is remorseful, he was under the influence of alcohol and drugs,
> you know we are trying to drive the drug dealers out, and he has
> done good work with the local trade union branch.  And the woman has
> forgiven him, appears to love him, and wishes to continue seeing him
> and that has got to be her decision.
> The point is there is a question of justice about the individual, and
> there is a question of promoting cooperation and trust again within
> the community. I would totally agree with Jerry that some
> breaches of trust are qualitatively different from others, and
> have corresponding consequences, and effects. Everyone forms their
> own opinion subsequently and acts accordingly, even without a
> collective decision.

Well, I would (re) make the following points:

(1) Certain forms of conduct are not only attacks on individuals, but
assaults on the entire community. For example, a rape is not only an
attack against an individual -- a "personal matter" to be resolved by the
"two" people who have a "problem" -- it is a violation of the community
itself. Consequently, when people say "let them [the culprit and the
victim] work it out", they ignore the social offense of the crime. Of
course, rape is not the only such conduct where the entire community must
respond -- when someone has been murdered for their politics, or when
there is [and there is _proof_ of being!] a police informer, when someone
is a scab or a snitch, where there is child abuse, etc., etc., etc..

(2) We, as Marxists and as revolutionaries, must hold members of *our*
community to a higher standard. For instance, in many countries being a
scab isn't against "the law." Yet it is a form of conduct that we can not
accept or condone among our members. The same is true for being a snitch
to mgt. -- we simply can not be serious about our politics and _still_
maintain that this is just a problem to be resolved between the snitch and
the victim. This, I would maintain, is such a severe crime _by a Marxist_
that it can never be forgotten or forgiven _by other Marxists_.

(3) What form punishment takes, and whether "rehabilitation" is possible,
is another question. Punishment could range from being sent to Coventry or
exile all the way to ... what? [In some squats in the LES, a rapist gets
the shit beaten out of him and then told to get out of town now and
permanently].  For certain forms of conduct, rehabilitation -- shown over
time by actions - may succeed to restoring some (or even most) trust.
Yet, before punishment or rehabilitation is discussed, there must first
be the recognition by the community of the social, class, and political
nature of the crime. Moreover, when a "comrade" commits such a crime and
when other comrades then "look the other way" out of friendship or
political relationship, they _also_ commit a crime against everyone
else and lose trust and credibility.

Jerry



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