Actually Lou. Although I have a good friend who works for Starbucks, I don't
drink coffee, and have never been in a Starbucks.
I know the history. I know the economic cost. But what is the programme. What
are the concrete steps that you propose? Move the cows back into Central Park?
There are any number of struggles going on the world concerning the split
between the town and the country, which ones are worth getting involved in?
which ones are not? Some of us do have political lives, that consist of more
than meaningless harangues. It is all fine and good to say that you don't want
to provide blueprints but political struggles are taking place every day in
every city in the world about what direction to take with respect to new
buildings, new roads, new parks. I like taking part in those discussion,
because that is what my neighbours and friends are interested in.
All I hear from the Leninists -- Join some Party of idiots who can't even talk
to their neighbours.
By the way. What is the CM demand?
Rod
Louis Proyect wrote:
> Rod wrote:
> >Eliminating the distinction between town and country side is a very
> >abstract though admirable goal. But what does it mean concretely. Better
> >planning of new housing space? More green space in the city? Better and
> >more efficient transportation systems? Or is there something more
> >drastic in mind?
>
> You and Doug approach this as if we were talking about life-style. I can
> understand this. This is generally how people first react to the CM demand,
> as if they were being asked to give up Starbucks or something. It is not
> about this primarily. It is about addressing a fundamental problem in
> agriculture and ecology. The rise of the modern city was facilitated by the
> removal of the agrarian population. Then, the livestock was separated from
> the farm where crops were grown. This was made possible by modern
> transportation systems, sophisticated financing schemes, chemical
> fertilizer, mechanized plowing and reaping, etc. In the meantime, all of
> these 'advances' were made possible by the creation of modern urban
> industrial centers. With every "success" of the capitalist system, there
> was an environmental penalty. Marx wrote about this, as did Bebel,
> Bukharin, Kautsky and many other lesser known Marxists. Our problem is that
> most of the research into these questions is being done by by mainstream
> greens like Lester Brown's Worldwatch, while the militant opposition comes
> from fuzzy-minded anarchists or deep ecologists. And where are the
> self-declared Marxists? Mostly standing around with their thumbs up their
> asses worrying about whether they'll still be able to enjoy their morning
> Starbucks.
>
> Louis Proyect
> Marxism mailing list: http://www.marxmail.org/
--
Rod Hay
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