From: Louis ProyectTo: marxism-international Subject: Re: M-I: Reformism or sectarianism ? (Ben replies to Louis Proyect) Date: Tuesday, April 07, 1998 11:03 AM Ben Seattle: >Rather than trouble himself to discuss or even acknowledge >the idea I have put forward, Louis simply complains that >those who oppose reformism lack "solid ideas". Well Louis, >my idea is sitting in front of your face. It has been sitting in >front of your face (and the face of all readers of M-I) since >I first put it forward in May of last year. How much real >discussion has this idea drawn ? Absolutely zero. Perhaps the reason it hasn't drawn much discussion is that the rest of us are a bit underwhelmed. There is a newsgroup called misc.activism.progressive that covers the social movements excellently. There is a new Web Page that is devoted to the labor movement which is outstanding. (http://www.solinet.org/LEE/labourstart.html). Mostly your invitation for an electronic news service seems besides the point on a Marxism list, which--after all--is devoted to a discussion of Marxist politics. To advocate that another forum be established is fine and dandy, but meanwhile what are your ideas about how to advance the class struggle except to start a new Internet service? The last time I remember you saying anything substantive was to denounce the new Labor Party in the same terms as the rest of sectarian windbags who haunt the Spoons Lists. I got news for you. I'd rather join the Labor Party--for all its flaws--than the collection of lunatics like "neil" and Malecki et al who hate it. Like I say, to be against "reformism" doesn't interest me. I am looking for people who not only have solid ideas about how to move the class struggle forward, but who have experience in actually organizing people. Our cyberwarriors seem to be lacking in real world experience by and large. What is your organizing experience anyhow, Ben? >Contradictions in the ruling class ? > "[1] The split in the bourgeoisie > over policy for the digital infrastructure Ben, you got to get away from the computer terminal once in a while. The ruling class "contradictions" over the Internet/free speech/commercialization questions are not even secondary, they are tertiary. Bill Gates' differences with the Justice Department are interesting to consider, but this is not the kind of ruling class split that occurred in the 1960s over the Vietnam war, for example. You have the same problem as the people grouped around Carl Davidson's cy.Rev. You exaggerate the significance of computing for the revolution. A much more compelling question for the American working-class is how to deal with racism. Racism allows reactionary politics in the South to proceed unchallenged. Racism allows discontent in the rural Northern states to be channeled against non-Caucasian peoples rather than the ruling class. Basically, you have been saying the same thing on the Marxism lists for the past year or so. We need to have a revolutionary party that takes advantage of computer technology. We have to implement a news service using said technology. You are starting to sound like a broken record. How about some discussion of the labor movement, or the African American struggle, etc.? Louis Proyect --- from list marxism-international@lists.village.virginia.edu ---