One would think from reading a certain sort of Marxist literature that these people live in a closed subculture, which means a metaphysical and ideological mental universe cloistered from the actual world it constantly beats its head against.
I don't think it is in human nature to give up even when facing impossible odds, and I doubt many of us will slit our wrists just because we have as much chance of achieving our goals as winning the million-dollar lottery. I also see no value in dumbing ourselves down to the level of the society in which we live, a la post-Marxism, postmodernism, etc. It is possible to know much more than we can act upon, though if the gap is too wide, we may be deprived of the degree of illusory consciousness necessary to be visible and viable agents in the ideologically driven social world in which we live. I think all we can do is attain the most profound theoretical consciousness of our situation, and act on what is possible within circumstantial limitations. Hence we need to see as far into the social order as we possibly can, and act according to our outer possibilities. But there are no guarantees, and we can't make false promises, least of all to ourselves, about what can be done. A cursory glance at the world situation, or I should say parts of the world situation, suggests that we will remain limited to damage control for some time, however much time we have left. If American business and government doesn't succeed in destroying the world, then the Chinese will, and there is always Islamic terrorism as a precipitating force. There are serious prospects for irreversible environmental disaster as well as world war, and the forces arrayed against these prospectives are too weak and fragmented. I don't see the organized left or the working masses in a position to take on this global situation and correct it. There is, of course, damage control, and relatively local forces in play, and they will do what they can. People won't give up and they can make a difference. But the notion of communist consciousness is merely a form of ideological masturbation without connection to reality, and is therefore to be condemned. Ultimately, any perspective remotely approaching a communist one can be effected only by a combination of workers and intellectuals, and this does not seem to be on the horizon anywhere, certainly not globally. The USA is hopeless, and the USA can destroy the world. If something good is happening in Venezuela or Brazil or some other place I don't know about, how is it really going to affect the organization of the masses on a global scale, and just as importantly, their consciousness of what they are doing and of the nature of the world they live in? At 07:54 PM 9/30/2007, Phil Walden wrote: >Ralph, >Why are you saying all this stuff about humanity is doomed and there will >never be communism? It contradicts the efforts you have made as an >auto-didact and to make liberatory material available to other people. True >if we want to get from where we are now to communism we will need a >well-debated and intelligent programme for communism. For the beginnings of >this try googling the Democratic Socialist Alliance and reading the pieces >by Phil Sharpe. >Cheer up doom may never happen, >Phil Walden _______________________________________________ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list [email protected] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
