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 ---
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