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I'm not sure who dan is, but I recognize the insertion of anti-working class pessimism when I see it. Nestor makes a valiant attempt at being nice, gently admonishing when there should be a visceral reaction to the garbage that the Cuban workers just aren't committed enough, too gullible, or otherwise only capable of being led "by the nose" by some mesmerizing "caudillo". Honestly, this line of thought has permeated this entire discussion regarding revolutionary leadership, as if revolutionary leadership is just part of the "human nature/nurture" debate regarding human capacities to get beyond their class inculcation. As if Fidel was god, like the Dalai Lama wishes he were or Obama and his minions would like such "nature" to be so. Such "perspective" presumes not only a false sense of history, revolution, or what "the individual" is capable of doing, it is wholly antithetical to making a social revolution, which by definition is the expression of masses coming to a consciousness far beyond where they intially would want to go. As we have seen time and frustratingly all too many times again, it is verily Not Enough to come either to a revolutionary consciousness Or Even To Take Power in one or two countries (or 3 or . . .) The working class has to be willing to not simply to wrest power from the capitalist class, that class (as a class and not the petit bourgeois notion of killing of individuals) must be smashed, obliterated, completely eliminated as an entity and the mechanisms established to obliterate, smash, and eliminate their Way Of Thinking, just like they are currently successful in preventing the masses of workers from even considering taking power because of the mass inculcation that "this is the best of all possible worlds". I should think that rather than just using Castro's commentary as an excuse to dump on the Cuban people for following a "caudillo", serious revolutionists would jump at the chance to explore further the window into revolutionary thinking that has been opened up by the Cuban people's most accomplished and honest leader? I have found it quite refreshing and even more inspiring to hear Castro's commentaries on Cuba's failures in its approach to gay people or of the problems of bureaucracy, and of the tolerance (albeit harshly so) that the Cuban people have demonstrated regarding commentary by some of their academics (sorry for the vague reference, forgot the man's name). I have found it tremendously encouraging that a workers state like Cuba is capable of maintaining the structures of democratic expressions of dissent in the face of such hateful and well-funded rightist opposition by the "gusanos" that permeate U.S. Cuban community and its "big brother" U.S. imperialist blockade and sanctions. If Cuba were to be defeated tomorrow, I would still know that there is a chance for the rest of us to know what it is to fight and win, to keep a democratic perspective in the face of hateful pressures, to know how to be honest with oneself when such self-reflection can appear politically damaging. I say all this to remind us that we can Never let each other get caught in the trap of the individual "hero" either for good reasons (as many of us are wont to do) or definitely for bad reasons (as much of this diatribe-garbage-is about Cubans being lulled into cultism by Fidel). Or, to put it into words that echo one of my working class mentors so long ago: "Ain't none of you motherfuckers ever made a revolution. The Cubans did. Pay Attention or shut the fuck up" None of us has any currency that the Cuban people, or Fidel individually for that matter, can use. The one thing that is clear from the misquotations or simple observations portrayed in the Fidel commentaries is that a revolutionary leader can speak with humility and honesty (what bourgeois Democrat, stalinist, or ultraleft sectarian can claim to have been this honest?), with the knowledge that "he" is not alone and that the end of human misery that is capitalism requires not only intransigence against the oppressor--giving him no mercy--but most important, brutal, raw, painful, and ultimately enlightening Truth that must be conveyed clearly to the working masses. The Cuban people have no fear of imperialism, why would they fear the farcical condemnations of wannabes who have never gotten to their level? Ciertamente Libertad Manuel PS: sorry for the colorful language. Those of you who know me know it's not really my primary foot forward. I hope I made my point > Date: Tue, 14 Sep 2010 22:49:31 -0300 > From: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [Marxism] re : Libertad > To: [email protected] > > ====================================================================== > Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. > ====================================================================== > > > 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/mtomas3%40hotmail.com ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: [email protected] Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
