me: >>> that fits a Marxist analysis: AA and the like are mere reforms. To >>> break down class barriers, a revolution is needed. Right, David?
David B. Shemano answered: > Animal Farm, chapter 10. Meet the new boss / Same as the old boss. I thought it was _liberals_ who were supposed to be "knee-jerk" in their thinking. That's not an argument. References to parables and rock lyrics are hardly the stuff of reasonable political thinking. Let's recap: If I am permitted to extrapolate from your prose to your thinking, you seem to oppose affirmative action and similar reforms. (On the other hand, I'm in favor of them, if they're done well.) You argue that as long as we have class differences, the real problem won't be solved. So either (1) you reject the idea of trying to end racism and similar institutionally-based problems or (2) you want to get rid of capitalism (the source of our current class gap). BTW, I wasn't saying that you should favor revolution. After all, if almost no-one else does these days, why should you? In fact, I was pushing for reforms. In any event, I am very aware of the "Meet the new boss / Same as the old boss" problem. That's why I favor "socialism from below" as opposed to the version imposed from above. (As an analogy, it's kind of like Bush's effort to impose democracy in Iraq from above. As we should tell the neocons again & again, it can't be done. Except that I don't think he wants democracy there or anywhere else in the world. He's got other goals. But so far, he hasn't even succeeded in imposing _capitalism_ from above in Iraq.) > I promise to subscribe to the People's Weekly World if you can point to any > evidence that, 25 years after any alleged socialist revolution or taking of > power by a socialist government, the children of the members of the politburo > or equivalent were going to elementary schools dominated by children of the > peasants or lower class workers.< I'll let other people report on the details of Cuban education. (I haven't been there since 1979, when Michael Perelman led our tour.) But any such study must take into account the role of the rapid US attacks on that nation since 1959. Why the People's Weekly World? are there no other socialist newspapers these days? I gave up on their pro-Soviet crap years ago and then the Soviet Union gave up on them... -- Jim Devine / "The truth is at once less sinister and more dangerous." -- Naomi Klein.
