i scanned the barker peice, on slavery and its relation to capitalism---the
story is not that obscure. i'd disagree with the conclusion, that
'progressives should do what they have always done, and promote the view
amongst the populace that the key to ending slavery is to abolish capitalism'.
first, as barker shows, many of the people who likely would ghave been called
progressive back in the day---the various brands of abolitionists---often were
not that concerned about 'wage slavery' or capitalism, seeing at qualitatively
different and something they either had not thought about, were not against, or
were leaving off the plate until the 'wedge issue' they had selected (slavery)
was solved.
barker also notes that arguing against capitalism does bring in a hornets nest
of issues (such as what to replace it with). for some people, especially the
rising or hopeful lower middle classes (including hard working immigrants---as
opposed to the ones involved in hustling--- and even african americans who see
Obama as inspiration to do the college/job thing) capitalism (as defined by the
current system---which i call 'market democracy') is the only game in
town---'eat or be eaten' (and if you get full, do the right thing, be pc and
give back).. Because of this, capitalism as a system is sort of locked in
for the forseeable future, unless the current debt 'crisis' or environment
issues knock it out (or various other agendas in the world get stronger).
How are you going to convince someone waiting for the bus or commuting to work
to give up on capitalism?
its possible some erosion at the edges is possible---barker was a graduate
student, and while he was and may still be on some sort of gravy train, you can
live simply, with less gravy, and in fact, if everyone did that, the current
version of capitalism would pretty much evaporate. (you know, be like
thoreau...or marx, and sleep in a public library.)
i actually come from the reverse view, which is to create alternatives to
current wage slavery, and then people may believe you that alternatives to
caPITALISM are possible and desirable. (the old Chomsky thing of going around
preaching against the corrupt system, and then flying back to your policed
ivory tower and NSF grant doing research applied to who knows what (chomsky
grammars applied to programming languages useful to automate mcdonald's cash
registers), rings hollow. after all, the whole current
antiglobalization/anticapitalist movement is based on the same WW2 technology
(the internet) that capitalism (and the state) thrives on---possibly its just
the other side of the mouth, or the yin and yang. )
also, i think 'capitalism' is such a vague term (like sin) even talking about
it is a bad habit, which recapitulates the ('stupid' (a value judgement))
status quo. If one thinks in terms of 'general equilibrium theory' (the
refined 'bourbakian' or baroque version of adam smith/say's law/walrasian
economics) as the model of capitalism (or its even more refined variant called
'neoclassical economics' where such vulgar objects such as money, time, and
governments appear (e.g. you don't set all physcial constants like c, h, etc
to 1) then capitalism to me is just fine---thats all there is (as a first
approximation). TINA----everything you say analyze can be reduced to a
statement in ZFC .( i.e. set theory----actually someone is promotig the idea we
get rid of 'choice' and just use ZF and a few other spices; now, there is a
50$million research program for the social good.).
i wonder if barker would consider proudhon's 'mutualism' a form of
capitalism. they are all based on the notion of optimization of resource
allocation. and, to me, optimization is a form of competition (among ideas,
even).
--- On Sun, 9/6/09, Louis Proyect <[email protected]> wrote:
From: Louis Proyect <[email protected]>
Subject: [Pen-l] Swans Release: September 7, 2009
To: "Activists and scholars in Marxist tradition"
<[email protected]>, "Progressive Economics"
<[email protected]>
Date: Sunday, September 6, 2009, 6:57 PM
Swans Commentary http://www.swans.com/ September 7, 2009
$$$ - If you read Swans and appreciate the quality of its content please
SUPPORT US FINANCIALLY. Thank you. http://www.swans.com/about/donate.html - $$$
Note from the Editors: There has been a recent uproar, if a scant news cycle
can be labeled thus, over Scotland's compassionate release of convicted Pan Am
Lockerbie bomber Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi who is suffering from end- stage
prostate cancer. Except it turns out that this "humanitarian" gesture
allegedly had more to do with securing BP's $900 million oil exploration
contract with Libya than showing empathy for a dying man -- an interesting
backdrop for Gilles d'Aymery's Blips in which all politics is local, diverting
our efforts toward saving community health centers instead of stopping the
obscene military spending on ventures designed to preserve our (i.e., the
elites') way of life. Or as Michael Barker notes in his research on modern-day
slavery, capitalism has replaced the tangible slave shackles with less visible
means of social control, and humanitarian groups appear more concerned with
sustaining the capitalist
elites than saving human life. Charles Marowitz whittles it down to a less
subtle conjecture on the fundamental division between the Stupid and the Smart,
the former believing that social reform equals dictatorship, while the latter
take advantage of the dumbing-down to further their agenda. As Femi Akomolafe
puts it in his dialogue on Nigeria's corruption, American wealth was built by
robber barons and other scalawags who make Nigerian politicians look
angelic... Tiziano Terzani's series of *Letters Against the War* continues to
resonate with Martin Murie, who concurs that a defense of diversity among
nations, instead of mindless uniformity built by market ideologies and the
realities they forge, is fundamental for a shift away from the rule of Empire.
Under the circumstances, the time has come for us to get some smarts, despite
all those cuts in education funds. We'll begin our curriculum with Peter
Byrne, who on this Labor Day reviews Harvey Pekar and Paul Buhle's brilliantly
conceived graphic tribute to the legendary Studs Terkel, after which the
ever-colorful Art Shay gives a rave review of *Inglourious Basterds,* a
make-believe account of a band of Jews' revenge against the Nazis.
Concermaster Isidor Saslav reports on Bard College's annual Summerscape
Festival, in which two operatic gems of converted Judaic culture are revived
in the context of this year's featured composer, the anti-Semitic Richard
Wagner. The poetry corner is edified by the primordial linguistic blending of
maestro Guido Monte and a dreamy offering by Jeffery Klaehn. Finally, we learn
from Raju Peddada's experiments in navigating the brazen world of auto
repairs. We close with your letters, in which Peter
Byrne answers the Saul Bellow debate, an uninsured reader responds to Jan
Baughman's socialism sardonicism, and Charles Marowitz bids good riddance to
Texas.
As always, please form your OWN opinion, and let your friends (and foes) know
about Swans.
# # # # #
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/desk089.html Blips #89 - From the Martian
Desk - Gilles d'Aymery
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/barker30.html Combating [Some] Slavery -
Michael Barker
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/cmarow146.html Smart Or Stupid? - Charles
Marowitz
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/femia18.html The Logic Of Corruption - Femi
Akomolafe
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/murie78.html *Hei Ram* (Oh God!) - Martin
Murie
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/pbyrne108.html Studs Reloaded - Book Review
by Peter Byrne
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/ashay14.html Sick Glourious Basterds - Film
Review by Art Shay
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/saslav14.html The Great
Meyerbeer-Mendelssohn Mystery - Isidor Saslav
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/gmonte75.html Chaos - Multilingual Poetry
by Guido Monte
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/klaehn02.html All My Life I've Dream(p)t Of
You - Poetry by Jeffery Klaehn
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/rajup20.html All Our Rough Rides - Raju
Peddada
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/letter173.html Letters to the Editor
# # # # #
Please, consider supporting our co-operative work financially. See
http://www.swans.com/about/donate.html
Swans (aka Swans Commentary), ISSN: 1554-4915, is a bi-weekly non- commercial
ad-free Web-only magazine which provides original content to its readers. We
encourage pulp publications to republish Swans' Work in print format. Please
contact the publisher at <aymery AT ix.netcom.com>. Please, do not repost
Swans' Work on the Web and other mailing lists: "Hypertext" links to any pages
of Swans.com are authorized; however, republication of any part of this site,
inlining, mirroring, and framing are expressly prohibited. We welcome your
comments and suggestions. When writing to Swans, please indicate your first and
last name as well as your city and state (country) of residence.
You are receiving this E-mail notification for you have expressed your interest
in Swans and the work of its tSwans Commentary http://www.swans.com/ September
7, 2009
$$$ - If you read Swans and appreciate the quality of its content please
SUPPORT US FINANCIALLY. Thank you. http://www.swans.com/about/donate.html - $$$
Note from the Editors: There has been a recent uproar, if a scant news cycle
can be labeled thus, over Scotland's compassionate release of convicted Pan Am
Lockerbie bomber Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi who is suffering from end- stage
prostate cancer. Except it turns out that this "humanitarian" gesture
allegedly had more to do with securing BP's $900 million oil exploration
contract with Libya than showing empathy for a dying man -- an interesting
backdrop for Gilles d'Aymery's Blips in which all politics is local, diverting
our efforts toward saving community health centers instead of stopping the
obscene military spending on ventures designed to preserve our (i.e., the
elites') way of life. Or as Michael Barker notes in his research on modern-day
slavery, capitalism has replaced the tangible slave shackles with less visible
means of social control, and humanitarian groups appear more concerned with
sustaining the capitalist
elites than saving human life. Charles Marowitz whittles it down to a less
subtle conjecture on the fundamental division between the Stupid and the Smart,
the former believing that social reform equals dictatorship, while the latter
take advantage of the dumbing-down to further their agenda. As Femi Akomolafe
puts it in his dialogue on Nigeria's corruption, American wealth was built by
robber barons and other scalawags who make Nigerian politicians look
angelic... Tiziano Terzani's series of *Letters Against the War* continues to
resonate with Martin Murie, who concurs that a defense of diversity among
nations, instead of mindless uniformity built by market ideologies and the
realities they forge, is fundamental for a shift away from the rule of Empire.
Under the circumstances, the time has come for us to get some smarts, despite
all those cuts in education funds. We'll begin our curriculum with Peter
Byrne, who on this Labor Day reviews Harvey Pekar and Paul Buhle's brilliantly
conceived graphic tribute to the legendary Studs Terkel, after which the
ever-colorful Art Shay gives a rave review of *Inglourious Basterds,* a
make-believe account of a band of Jews' revenge against the Nazis.
Concermaster Isidor Saslav reports on Bard College's annual Summerscape
Festival, in which two operatic gems of converted Judaic culture are revived
in the context of this year's featured composer, the anti-Semitic Richard
Wagner. The poetry corner is edified by the primordial linguistic blending of
maestro Guido Monte and a dreamy offering by Jeffery Klaehn. Finally, we learn
from Raju Peddada's experiments in navigating the brazen world of auto
repairs. We close with your letters, in which Peter
Byrne answers the Saul Bellow debate, an uninsured reader responds to Jan
Baughman's socialism sardonicism, and Charles Marowitz bids good riddance to
Texas.
As always, please form your OWN opinion, and let your friends (and foes) know
about Swans.
# # # # #
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/desk089.html Blips #89 - From the Martian
Desk - Gilles d'Aymery
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/barker30.html Combating [Some] Slavery -
Michael Barker
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/cmarow146.html Smart Or Stupid? - Charles
Marowitz
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/femia18.html The Logic Of Corruption - Femi
Akomolafe
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/murie78.html *Hei Ram* (Oh God!) - Martin
Murie
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/pbyrne108.html Studs Reloaded - Book Review
by Peter Byrne
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/ashay14.html Sick Glourious Basterds - Film
Review by Art Shay
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/saslav14.html The Great
Meyerbeer-Mendelssohn Mystery - Isidor Saslav
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/gmonte75.html Chaos - Multilingual Poetry
by Guido Monte
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/klaehn02.html All My Life I've Dream(p)t Of
You - Poetry by Jeffery Klaehn
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/rajup20.html All Our Rough Rides - Raju
Peddada
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/letter173.html Letters to the Editor
# # # # #
Please, consider supporting our co-operative work financially. See
http://www.swans.com/about/donate.html
Swans (aka Swans Commentary), ISSN: 1554-4915, is a bi-weekly non- commercial
ad-free Web-only magazine which provides original content to its readers. We
encourage pulp publications to republish Swans' Work in print format. Please
contact the publisher at <aymery AT ix.netcom.com>. Please, do not repost
Swans' Work on the Web and other mailing lists: "Hypertext" links to any pages
of Swans.com are authorized; however, republication of any part of this site,
inlining, mirroring, and framing are expressly prohibited. We welcome your
comments and suggestions. When writing to Swans, please indicate your first and
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You are receiving this E-mail notification for you have expressed your interest
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