Subject: LL9806001 Ben Seattle: The "D of P" and the internet in the modern world Date: Sunday, May 31, 1998 9:55 PM Andrew wrote: ==================== >> These ladies and gentlemen often argue too, that key elements >> of Marxist politics especially the theory of the state and the >> dictatorship of the proletariat are absurd. Klo replied: ==================== >The only thing absurd is the assertion that the dictatorship of >the proletariat is no longer needed. It's needed now as much >as ever, especially in light of the fact that wealth differentials >have never been greater. It is going to require a dictatorship >to overcome the dictatorship of incredible wealth. Andrew also said: ==================== >> IMO, what gives Marxism is revolutionary significance is its >> evolving character and its dynamic relationship to social >> change. Unfortunately even those who describe themselves >> as Marxist have tended to lose sight of this. Too often, they >> have ignored the vital task of developing Marx's theory in >> line with changing social conditions. ... >> .... Thus orthodoxy and revisionism in different ways express >> the same problem - the failure to develop Marxist theory. Ben Seattle replies: ==================== OK folks, this is all well and good. I agree with all of the above. But at some point we have to actually do this. I have raised on several occasions the need to consider the attitude of the dictatorship of the proletariat towards the internet. So far--no one has been willing to touch this topic with a ten foot pole. If _we_ are not willing to discuss how the system of workers' rule will function under modern conditions--then is it right to blame _others_ for not wanting to think about it? All the "Trotsky-hunting" that has been going on is a waste of my bandwidth. I am confident that I am not alone in feeling this way. Anyone who has any theoretical ability should focus on the issues that are decisive. The theory of the dictatorship of the proletariat is the _center_ of communist theory--and represents the decisive question of our time. Anyone who refuses to discuss how the dictatorship of the proletariat will function under modern conditions (ie: with a modern communications infrastructure) is not really strengthening the concept of the dictatorship of the proletariat. Instead they are just generating hot air. We can do better than that. Ben Seattle ----//-// Will the "Dictatorship of the Proletariat" censor the internet? -- Find out at: www.Leninism.org