File spoon-archives/marxism-thaxis.archive/marxism-thaxis_1998/marxism-thaxis.9803, message 596


From: brumback-AT-ncgate.newcollege.edu
Date: Fri, 20 Mar 1998 22:11:50 -0800
Subject: Re: M-TH: Reply to a liberal (part 1)


Bob,

Dear Bob,

Let me first just say that in general, your reply reflected large gaps in
understanding of what I had written regarding a revolutionary program. Some
of this lack of understanding no doubt derives from your penchant for
doctrinaire slogans, which explains why you seem to be partially brain dead.

I remember an interesting study I once read about that compared the
intelligence of school children to the religion, or lack of, of their
families of origin. The atheist children were the smartest, the Unitarian
and Jewish children next. At the bottom of the scale were the children of
fundamentalist Christians. It would seem that believing in =93fundamental
truths,=94 whether religionist or Marxist, is detrimental to one=92s ability to
think.

I=92m going to address only a few of your points in this points in this post,
because I have more important posts to write tonight, not to mention more
important things to do.

Re: your comment that I did not mention the racist character of American
society, or identify the owners of the means of production, read again. The
unequal division of economic and social power between whites and people of
color is referred to several times; so is the unequal division of economic
power between the ruling class and the rest of us. At the end of one
paragraph where these things are discussed, you wrote, =93Well, nothing very
new in this,=94 indicating either that you didn=92t read it, or didn=92t take it
in =96 probably the latter, given that you probably have never heard these
concepts referred to in the way I have discussed them, and therefore could
not cognitively process what is being said to you, due to inoperative brain
cells, as discussed above.

Re: your question, am I trying to =93put gender above the class struggle,=94 the
answer is yes, and no. I said that sexism is interconnected with racism and
classism. I will elaborate just a tiny bit: the belief that the sexes are
born for their roles in reproduction upholds the belief that the classes and
the races are born for their roles in production. Women=92s liberation is not
a movement which is =93peripheral=94 to socialism. It is, with class struggle
and race struggle, basic to socialism. The great majority of women in the US
will laugh at you (at best) if you tell them that =93sexual liberation can
only be realized through the socialist revolution.=94 No wonder there is so
much emphasis on identity politics!

As far as the =93Dictatorship of the Proletariat,=94 no political slogan is more
abhorrent to me at this point in my life, age 61 going on 62. Who the hell
is the fucking proletariat to tell me what to do? I am not going to fight
any goddam revolution so that the proletariat can tell me what to do,
instead of my father or my husband . It is a basic human right to have the
opportunity to participate in decisions that affect one=92s life. As a man,
perhaps you have never felt that you didn=92t have that right . Or perhaps you
have never in your life stepped out of your gender role. Making our own
decisions, determining what we will or will not do with our lives =96 this is
fundamental to growing up, being a man or a woman, being in control of our
own lives. As a man, you are taught that women are put on this earth to take
orders from you. Maybe you haven=92t bought into that power; I=92m not saying
that you have. But it sounds like you sure as hell don=92t know what it means
not to have the right to live your life the way you want it.

Later,

Nancy







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

   

Driftline Main Page

 

Display software: ArchTracker © Malgosia Askanas, 2000-2005