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El 14/09/2010 07:48 p.m., dan escribió: > > Hi Nestor, > > I must say that I have akways considered you a true comarade. Probably > because you responded to my quoting of Martin Fierro Porque te quiero te aporreo. :-) Now, seriously: when I am rough, just and only rough and nothing else, this is because I believe there is someone on the other end of the line who can take roughness, and answer in the same way, without losing temper. That is what begins to be a comrade. > > Cuba. Now let's keep our heads calm. > I was born in 1978. Well...AFTER the 1962 missile crisis. And the 1959 > revolucion. > I could ask you the same thing about the Argentenain working class, and > how have they contributed to socialism, etc. as you do of the French > working class. And I would answer you that the Arg working class has always struggled against imperialism, which is the first thing a working class must do. Our country, under the strong weight of its working class, doesn´t give a second of easy breath to the ruling classes. Just to keep with the 20th Century, the Arg workers and poor petty bourgeoisie have shattered the given order (in a way or other, always bringing in, sooner or later, some criminal coup to resettle things) in 1916, 1945, 1969, and 2001. Roughly, every 30 years, as you see. Not a bad record, indeed. This is not because we are particularly marvelous. I don´t share in that gloating image of "we Argentineans are the salt of planet Earth, only that we are so clever that we are the only ones who realize that" which plagues many of my fellow counntrypeople. Got no shame of being Argentinean that I have to hide with a bullying complexion. But I want to stress that though we are nothing very particular, we also are rebellious and unruly. The depth of the crimes of the 1976 regime can only be explained by this combativity of my people, and particularly by that of our working class. In fact, there were even open declarations in those times that explained that the goal was to reduce the combativity of the Arg working class to manageable levels. And, know what, this is EXACTLY THE SAME THING THAT IS BEGINNING TO PLAGUE THE NEWSPAPERS OF THE OLIGARCHIC-IMPERIALIST REGIME TODAY. > As a Marxist, I think it is safe to say that the French and Argentinian > working classes are being both ruthlessly exploited. All working classes are exploited the world over. As a Marxist, nothing is safer than saying this. But there is hardly anything less useful. Already in the end of the 19th Century, F. Engels warned against those who wanted to equate the economy of Germany and the economy of Tierra del Fuego... > So, I believe, is the fate of the Cuban working class. I suspect the > Cuban rulers are a bit like Peron, in that they will vehemently proclaim > their nationalism, while seeking Soviet or Chinese purveyors of > weaponry. Cuba is entitled to do so. The only problem (the perenial > problem) is when centralized planification becomes more drudgery( as > opposed to revolutionary enthusiasm)). No, they are way ahead of Perón. When they saw imperialists would not bend to Cuban sovereignty, they boldly jumped ahead towards socialism. Perón did not dare do the same. > Which boils down to what Marx said : the emancipation of the working > class will be the task of the working class itself. > Fidel Castro shows us how the working class of an island can be led from > enthusiasm, to fear, to resignation, and then sold off to imperialists. > Under Castro, Cuban workers were never strong enough to broker their > own destiny. They were and they are. To begin with, Dan, please realize that "working class" has many different concrete meanings, according to the social formation where this mantra is formulated upon. The objective conditions of the working class in Cuba are enormously different to those of the working class in France. Cuban workers were strong enough to fight against US imperialism, which few workers can be proud of. And they CHOSE to be led by Fidel, which is their most intelligent move. Leaders are not ready made clothings you can find in a shop. This is particularly so in Third World countries. > They were just about strong enough to fight off imperialism and get > health benefits, but they were prevented from going further by "el > caudillo". If they could fight imperialism, they can fight anyone. The "caudillo" (that is, the "leader", this is the translation) expressed them, not the other way round. Fidel is not stronger than the Pentagon, believe me. ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: [email protected] Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
