Agreeably so, "politics becomes psychology and psychology comes to resemble religion, so that racism is supposed to be curable by punishment, deprivation, penitence and absolution. Class struggle then becomes a kind of secular religion, and it cannot succeed like that" simply because the political battles between revolution and class struggle still shape the agenda of our movement. However, from this profound analysis of cde VC, I would like to interpose the debate with the view that racism is subjective and elusive in nature - and therefore a contested terrain. It can also be a subconscious expression of hatred informed by the historical material conditions or a stereotypic and prejudiced generalisation of the class struggle. In action and by struggle songs we expressed our abhorrence towards the system, and coined the system as "Amabhunu". Those who had been in the trenches knew very well that "Amabhunu" was not entirely white folks but "Apartheid' regime. However, some perceived "Amabhunu" as generally white folks and therefore "Targets". And impose racial prejudices against every white person because "White" is associated with "Apartheid." Hence, the unfortunate murder of Amy Biehl, and so forth. That is why even today some people are still trapped in the racial stereotypes of the past and making a mockery of the struggle for democracy to corrupt our national democratic revolution. This is despite that a new dispensation has wrought a political settlement on the reconciliation consensus. Correctly so, "democracy rests upon the masses." In essence, racism remains the main enemy of our democratic order while racist tendencies playing a convenient part in the whole. I fully agree with cde VC that our communist politics is "materialist", because it combines the subject and the object, and shows these two to be a dialectical unity and struggle of opposites. It means therefore that the collective expression of resistance against an impediment to the cause of our struggle can create a consciousness of freedom and development for all - thus excluding counter revolutionary elements by direct consequences. Once this has been instutionalised we become accustomed to it to help democracy to live again as a rational and inclusive discourse. Asikhulume! Morgan Phaahla
"Sometimes, if you wear suits for too long, it changes your ideology." - Joe Slovo --- On Wed, 5/26/10, Dominic Tweedie <[email protected]> wrote: From: Dominic Tweedie <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [YCLSA Discussion] racism To: [email protected] Date: Wednesday, May 26, 2010, 1:11 AM Yes, the logical conclusion of theories of racism is that we are all racists, therefore all diseased and needing a cure - a psychological cure. This is a big problem, in my opinion, because in that case, politics happens in the head - the individual head. Politics becomes psychology and psychology comes to resemble religion, so that racism is supposed to be curable by punishment, deprivation, penitence and absolution. But in fact politics is not like that, unless it is liberal politics where the objective material world is removed from consideration and left to the "market". Our communist politics is "materialist", because it combines the subject and the object, and shows these two to be a dialectical unity and struggle of opposites. The treatment of the class struggle as a retreat and a safe haven from racism, leaving racism isolated intact and separate, as you do here comrade, if I am not mistaken, is yet another species of liberalism. Class struggle then becomes a kind of secular religion, and it cannot succeed like that, in my opinion. The National Democratic Revolution can succeed by democratising life from border to border and at every level from the bottom up. This is the struggle that presents itself to us now. Democratic mass structures, including unions, the ANC, and the ANC Youth League, are under pressure at their weakest point, which is at the basic unit of democracy, where the communist cadres are spread most thinly. In the ANCYL, branches have been subverted and corrupted for the sake of delegate-warfare for positions at congresses. Democracy is in that case no longer a dialogue, but threatens to be converted into its opposite: exclusion. In this atmosphere the furious psychological liberalism of racism/anti-racism plays a convenient part. Democracy rests upon the masses. The communist cadres must work everywhere to help democracy to live again as a rational and inclusive discourse. The communists work to create a conscious "vast association of the whole nation" in which "the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all." The class struggle and the democratic mass organisations that are its expression provide the road out of racism. For example, properly organised people will be able to resist drunken xenophobic mobs, and will not themselves degenerate to such behaviour. But these same mass organisations could be hi-jacked and turned to the opposite purpose, in the absence of the communist cadres. This shows where the YCL mission lies, in my opinion. The YCL exists to develop and to provide cadres to every mass democratic structure, who will resist any attempts that may be made to reverse the democratisation of the country. Asikhulume! VC On 25 May 2010 23:14, Thabang Ngcozela <[email protected]> wrote: we are all racist because of how we are socialised by our fammilies, schoolling, communities, peers, experience etc, thus we need to be anti-racists rather than non racial because in that way we accept the way we were socialised as a factor, but at the same time fight against it in ourselves, communities, work place etc. infact there is only one race, the human race. we have more in common with the working class from all over the world, than we have with black capitalist and all other capitalist from all different cultural groups in SA or anywhere else in the world.this does not suggest that racism in not used here and some where else in the world to discriminate against other cultural groups by other(s). We need to come together as the working class from across cultural lines and unite against capitalism as it stands to benefit the most from the devided working class and not blacks or whites in a generalised sense will benefit. It is ovious if SA goes in a situation of civil war along cultural lines the poor and the working class will suffer the most, as it is ovious that if the working class unites beyond cultural devides both black and white capitalist and all of them will suffer the most. so let us not forget that race it is a factor like xenophobia, homophobia, sexism, trabalism etc that devide us as the working class at an artificial level, but they all can be defeated through working class struggle. We are devided along class lines more than we think we are devided along cultural lines. all the places - parts of South Africa - that the white racists want are beautiful areas, with lots of natural resources and econmically strategically positioned and my quetion is why they don't choose those parts that have no natural resources that they can exploit for their narrow economic gains. why they don't choose the mine dumps that the companies and businesses their fore farthers have made? why they don't choose land that is not agricultural productive, why do they choose land along the coast? if they want to have their own land. it its clear that they are after resources that their forefathers stole from others. why they don't want to share the resources with everyone else? we should unite against racism at all cost its a desease that needs to be outrooted but we can not deal with it completely without defeating capitalism first, as black, coloured, indian, arab, chinesse etc are all in a life mission of maximum extraction of resources and expanding private property, to make profits, accumulate these profits and sustain their rediculously luxirious life style of over cosumption and over production. 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