I wish I could say it's been a while since I've read such a heartfelt, soul-stirring, homage to reformism as Marvin's, but unfortunately I hear it all too frequently.
First, a correction to what Marvin writes: "I'd be surprised if you really viewed the fall of apartheid "as a non-issue at best, a joke at worst". Marvin has a bit of trouble with what people actually write, and he tends to get things a bit twisted. I never wrote that the fall of apartheid is a non-issue or a joke. What I wrote was that if Marvin was referring to the "deal" between Palestinian Arabs and the Jewish workers in occupied Palestine as a "compromise" along the lines of the deal in South Africa, then "preserving cultural identity of the minority is a...joke." Preserving the cultural identity of theAfrikaners in South Africa is a non-issue or a joke, because the deal that was cut was a deal to preserve the economic, class power of the minority, not the right to speak Afrikaner. No such deal can create the "democratic, secular" Palestine Marvin desires, because those deals preserve and extend the economic power and privilege of the minority through the process of "accommodation." No, I don't consider the end of apartheid a joke-- never said any such thing-- but the sort of Mandela-de Klerk deal does not bring democracy, or secularism, or socialism. Regarding the history of the ANC and the struggle in South Africa, Marvin would do well to look at the COST of the deal to the struggle in South Africa-- what was lost in terms of the prospects for revolution. Does anyone think the Afrikaners made this deal out of the goodness of their hearts; a sudden burst of Christian morality? The deal was made for economic reasons-- greater access to the world markets; eliminate the considerable financial burdens of running an apartheid state; and most importantly pre-empting the possibility of actual revolution and expropriation of property by a movement who's real strength was in the organizations of the miners and workers. And that cost is being paid right now in the deteriorating conditions for those living in the townships. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Marv Gandall" <[email protected]> To: "David Schanoes" <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, October 18, 2009 8:40 PM Subject: Re: [Marxism] self determination for oppressors ________________________________________________ YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: [email protected] Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
