File spoon-archives/marxism-thaxis.archive/marxism-thaxis_1998/marxism-thaxis.9801, message 364


Date: Sat, 17 Jan 1998 18:51:39 +0100
From: Hugh Rodwell <m-14970-AT-mailbox.swipnet.se>
Subject: M-TH: Purity purity purity


I wrote:

<< If Marx had waited for a platform in public discourse, we wouldn't have
> Marxism today. But the party he and Engels founded and worked with *became*
> a platform in public discourse because they held to their prinicples and
> always related to the problems of the mass movement. This has to be our
> guideline today, despite surface appearances that seem to doom
> revolutionary organizations to the margins.  >>

and Leo C felt obliged to comment:

>This is a classic sectarian political formula, especially as it relates to the
>origins of the word 'sectarian'. Stay pure, and wait for the second coming.
>Anyone who suggests that there might be a need to actually rethink some of
>these pure principles is condemned as a heretic, and thrown out of the faith
>community. All questions relating to the failure of the faith predictions to
>come true are blamed on the heretics, the misleaders -- and the closer to the
>faith, the better.

This of course is the classic opportunist formula: "Wallow in filth --
everyone else does!"

But not even Fresh Prince in Bel Air swallows this crap any more. Will
gives up on a "good" job and uncle Phil gives up on an old friend (and as a
rich black judge he has very few of these left -- surprise surprise) out of
principled opposition to corruption in politics -- and this is the
bourgeoisie!

Just where do Leo and his wallow-in-the-muck buddies draw the line? At
sexism? Racism? Crossing a picket line? Voting Democrat? Voting Labor? The
labour theory of value? Socialism in One Country? Or do they have some
unbreakable principle about not having any principles at all?

The vocabulary they use is so predictable. All firm principle to them is
"purity", "faith", "the Bible" and so on. Well good luck to our unpure,
unfaithful, sceptical "realists". May they grow rich and fat and and sic
the cops on the barricades when the chips are down. And then get what they
deserve -- first from the working people, then from posterity.

Cheers,

Hugh




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