Date: Sat, 8 Apr 1995 22:07:41 -0700 (PDT)
From: Kenny Mostern <kennym-AT-uclink2.berkeley.edu>
Subject: affirmative action


It seems to me we need a distinction here in talking about the attacks on 
affirmative action.  The left--and I emphasize that I mean, in 
particular, the left of color--never asked for affirmative action, nor 
wanted it.  In place of an adequate model of political/eceonomic/cultural 
self-determination, in place of full employment, in place of reparations 
and other redistributive models, and (of course) to stave 
off the possibility of a real revolution, affirmative action was the 
policy of the white liberals (which is to include Nixon, in this case) to 
give a few crumbs while holding onto power and maintaining the economy as 
is.  So, no, affirmative action is not 
what we want, and when we are advocating positive solutions we need to 
advocate all of the above as being better than affirmative action.

But that doesn't mean we shouldn't oppose the attacks on affirmative 
action, which are part of the broader strategy of the racist right, and 
serve as an important diversionary tactic to discussions of what is going 
on with the economy.  Provisionally we need to say, affirmative action is 
better than nothing (even if we don't believe it) in order to get to the 
real point, which is that all workers, immigrants, and people of color 
are under attack, and the grounds of the attack are damned lies.  Given 
the present scary state of U.S. politics, only such a defensive maneuver 
even potentially opens the space for the discussion of positive alternatives.

Kenny Mostern
UC-Berkeley Ethnic Studies Graduate Group

Against:  racism, sexism, homophobia, capitalism, militarism
For:  the truth--and the funk!

On Fri, 7 Apr 1995, Tom Meisenhelder wrote:

> 
> With reference to Louis comments on how a good reading of Lenin leads us
> to support the so-called "nationalist" struggles of people of color and
> with reference to the often stated idea that a focus on race is somehow  a
> diversion from class analysis, and in the interest to bringing the
> discussion "down" to an immediate practical concern . .. . ., how should
> we (the marxist left) speak when asked to respond to the current and
> growing attacks on affirmative action?  Should we disown the idea by
> saying we support revolution not reform?  Should we discount AA by
> pointing out that it is not a class-based progrm?  Or perhaps argue that
> AA is good, does work for some, but needs to be braodened to include class
> as well as other avenues for the redistribution of opportunity and
> resources.  While it is perhaps most tempting to remain "pure" by refusing
> to promote AA because it is reformist and coopting and remains fully
> within capitalism, wouldn't --as is often the case, it seems-- such
> theoretical purity be practical political suicide for the socialist left?
> 
> 
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> 


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