tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305888946584866654.post282536936785669285..comments2024-03-18T18:33:59.080-07:00Comments on The Left Chapter: We don't need a populist left, post-identity politics left or 'alt left' to fight the rise of the far right, we just need a left Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305888946584866654.post-29205803749214928942017-02-26T08:12:20.771-08:002017-02-26T08:12:20.771-08:00OK so trade unions are in a very bad condition now...OK so trade unions are in a very bad condition now. Most are "bureaucratic "business unions" led by class collaborators who are more interested in advancing their careers than the class struggle. But what other effective force will be able to lead the challenge to capitalism? There isn't one.Pete Mosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16298644925083620621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305888946584866654.post-13707469109465547662017-02-22T06:42:26.564-08:002017-02-22T06:42:26.564-08:00The proper term is the ctrl-left.The proper term is the ctrl-left.mlorreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01409082009155277114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305888946584866654.post-7651579591033650402017-02-22T06:41:06.617-08:002017-02-22T06:41:06.617-08:00The proper term is the ctrl-left.The proper term is the ctrl-left.mlorreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01409082009155277114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305888946584866654.post-2173134523837365972017-02-21T21:34:11.367-08:002017-02-21T21:34:11.367-08:00I wish there was an edit button. So what I said r...I wish there was an edit button. So what I said really sounds like "No, not trade unions", but the problem with that is that unions are historically such a huge and central part of class struggle so I don't want to write them off. But on the third hand, the nature of work has changed; has it changed enough to make unions as we know them less relevant? . . . Yeah, I really don't know.Purple library guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01930984683714519212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305888946584866654.post-69386180352224015682017-02-21T21:28:23.600-08:002017-02-21T21:28:23.600-08:00I see what's happening here. My original comm...I see what's happening here. My original comment wasn't intended as a reply to you, but a reply to the article itself. Then when you replied to me in a way that seemed like a rejoinder, I falsely assumed it must be the article's author. Now it looks like you may even have made the exact same false assumption about me, and so we've been talking at cross purposes here the whole time.<br /><br />Anyway . . . organized labour. I don't know, to be honest. It pains me to say this since I am myself a union guy, but most unions are not remotely radical and not all that democratic. They do try to operate as something of a counterweight to neoliberalism and other "extreme" capitalism, but their track record in recent decades is more about smothering radicalism than being a vehicle for it. Trying to reform at least the bigger unions into a force for radical change at this point is perhaps not so different from trying to reform the Democratic party. So aside from groups like the remnants of the Wobblies, I dunno, man.Purple library guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01930984683714519212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305888946584866654.post-33383475459127844472017-02-21T18:26:36.799-08:002017-02-21T18:26:36.799-08:00So let me "nitpick" because I quoted you...So let me "nitpick" because I quoted you in the original piece where the word "blame" was written by you.<br />Nothing about organized labour? Pete Mosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16298644925083620621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305888946584866654.post-83739502398182707172017-02-21T15:54:33.562-08:002017-02-21T15:54:33.562-08:00I get what you mean, although bear with me while I...I get what you mean, although bear with me while I nitpick a moment. The world "blame":<br />"And until we stop theorizing about it and actually take steps to build it, the only people we on the socialist left have to <b>blame</b> for our electoral failures and the electoral rise of the far right are ourselves."<br /><br />But it is an important question. At the same time, I was proposing what I think is an important answer: Various people have been taking steps to build movements. By and large, they've been <b>failing</b>. Why? <b>Because it's very difficult.</b> You can't half-ass it and succeed. You can't even do a really quite good job and succeed. An attempted left movement which, if successful, would seriously cramp the style of the capitalist class has to be some combination of really amazingly good and pretty lucky in its timing in order to get anywhere.<br />And "really amazingly good" is not a simple thing. There is no cureall ingredient, just add and the movement will succeed. Neither is there some spoil-all ingredient, some quietism or false consciousness, which if we could just remove it would allow stalled movements to flourish. <br /><br />Rather, it is going to require adding a whole bunch of stuff together. Some elements: <br />--Old-school ground-level organizing<br />--Really deep democracy, helped out by new networking technologies (this is not only inherently good, but it helps block co-optation by bought-out leaders)<br />--Outreach across all the little silos, taking each other's concerns seriously<br />--Catchy memes<br />--Some thought to making membership in the movement a <b>good thing</b> for the people involved; movements tend to suffer from churn and burnout<br />--Alliance between those oriented towards protest and those oriented towards building prefigurative communities and mini-economies<br />--Growing alternative media<br />--Clever and sneaky moment-to-moment tactics<br />--Trying hard to overcome ego and not-invented-here syndrome<br />--And many, many more!<br /><br />That's a lot of things, and most of them are skills in themselves with a lot of know-how involved, some of which hasn't been invented yet. Building movements that handle all that stuff would be really tough. Look at corporations and conventional political parties--even though their organizational forms have been refined for centuries and are backed by masses of establishment support, with tons of research, training, money sunk into making them as effective as they can be, most of them are still pretty mediocre. How much harder is it for the good guys? Gotta keep plugging away, improving element after element, until it starts to work.Purple library guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01930984683714519212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305888946584866654.post-9039806740879510262017-02-21T06:34:58.523-08:002017-02-21T06:34:58.523-08:00I didn't use the word "blame." I'...I didn't use the word "blame." I'm not "blaming" anyone. I'm asking an important question which I believe needs to be answered properly. Pete Mosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16298644925083620621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305888946584866654.post-27287910840146496652017-02-20T11:34:32.017-08:002017-02-20T11:34:32.017-08:00Depends what you mean by "blame" I suppo...Depends what you mean by "blame" I suppose. Strong leftist movements are currently pretty rare worldwide. Building them is clearly very hard to do. It's like a student who didn't get an "A"--well, sure, they're probably the one "to blame" for that failure, but that doesn't mean they necessarily were doing that bad. You can have a good, sincere bunch of leftists doing many smart things trying to build movements, and they can still fail.<br />Unfortunately, the world is a harsh place, and "pretty good but not good enough" impacts no policies. The system is stacked against challengers; to beat it we have to use every strength in our alternative ideas, shore up every weakness, grab every angle, be more inspiring, more truthful, but also sneakier, than the class warriors for the wealthy. It's a tall order. <br />So there's no reason to be too down on ourselves for failing thus far; we're trying to do something very difficult. But we do need to keep on doing things better--gaining skill at what we do, and adding new tactics, methods, strategies.Purple library guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01930984683714519212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305888946584866654.post-58492704685048359442017-02-19T06:12:09.841-08:002017-02-19T06:12:09.841-08:00"And until we stop theorizing about it and ac..."And until we stop theorizing about it and actually take steps to build it, the only people we on the socialist left have to blame for our electoral failures and the electoral rise of the far right are ourselves."<br /><br />Can you now articulate "Why" this situation has occurred?<br />Why has "the left" failed? What are the reasons?<br />Because in order to change this situation as you describe it the reasons for the failure need to be articulated and understood. Pete Mosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16298644925083620621noreply@blogger.com