Date: Mon, 8 Jul 1996 08:14:40 -0400 (EDT)
From: Louis N Proyect <lnp3-AT-columbia.edu>
Subject: Re: The Swamp vs the Party


On Mon, 8 Jul 1996, Hugh Rodwell wrote:

> 
> Do you mean to tell us that *not* having made your mind up is an
> unmitigated good? I was under the impression that you'd made your mind up
> about, say, Nicaragua and the Sandinistas, the state of the left in
> America, the virtues of Leninist party building, socialism as being a good
> thing, Robert M and many other subjects.
> 

Louis: Yes, Hugh, I am generally quite forceful about issues that I have a
lot of experience with. I spent a lot of time in Nicaragua and have
researched the topic thoroughly. I have also been involved with the
attempt to build a revolutionary party in the US for nearly thirty years.

But there are many things I have no expertise in: China and Maoism,
Marxist economics, the labor movement, the Frankfurt school, anarchism,
etc. Until I find out about some of these subjects, I tend to remain
silent.

You, however, are something else entirely. You would assert that the
*organization* you belong to has all of the answers. This is not just a
characteristic of your own group. It is also true of Adam Rose's and Jim
Miller's. If you asked Jim Miller what his position on Maoism was, he
would consult his party press and then report back to the list. That is
why having discussions with "Marxist-Leninists" can be such a waste of
time. You are not speaking to a person, but to a mouthpiece.



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