It’s important to know ‘who’s version if rational’ before we join the movement. There have been quite a few revolutions coopted by corrupt non-rational bullies who turned national economies into their own fiefdoms. How do you protect against that history repeating itself?
No, no easy answers there, obviously. That's one reason for the multiplicity of theories, practices and SPLITS.
You still listening to the "Revolutions Podcast" ?? The guy seems to have insight based on historical experience - into which he's taken a serious deep dive.
One of the common post-revolutionary stages that Mike Duncan points out is the ‘entropy of victory’. Turns out that all those vague ‘new world order’ speeches that held the revolutionaries together glossed over some important details that are in fact very difficult to resolve once the dust settles. Like, who is going to govern? Is anyone opposed to that person considered a counterrevolutionary and deserves no quarter? What to do with all the assets taken from the old economic regime? Who lays the bricks and who does the accounting?!
The only revolution I (think) I know something about, is the Russian. There, as everyone knows, there broke out all sorts of struggles for power. I suppose it's "only natural" to prefer leading to being led. That's the psychological factor. Differing estimates, conceptions, programs also - but the psychological, ie, spiritual, aspect loomed large. Right now I'm giving a fair hearing to those defending Stalin's leadership - "Finish Bolschevic", Grover Furr, and others. I've also read Trotsky - quite a big chunk anyway. I'll let you know if I ever arrive at solid conclusions. That history IS important since it divides the Left forces today.
As an office worker myself I suppose that I fit in your category of those that don’t physically lay the bricks, but rather manage resources that eventually incentivize someone (aka, a skilled mason) to lay the bricks.
But I don’t see the distinction between my job and a similar white collar worker in the Chinese or Libyan states. Even the pharaohs had beancounters. I’m not sure that the particular political-economic ‘’-ism” is ever going to change that.
There are many intermediate layers - and as you imply, socialism (and Egypt) needs administrators. Marx commented that in Socialism the accounting profession will be the most essential of all. The issue is - what CLASS holds power. In Capitalism most of the wealth, and ALL of the Power (consequently) is in the hands of the corporate Capitalist Class, ie, Blackrock, State Street, Blackstone, Amazon, etc. If one is oblivious to that fact - the Dictatorship of Capital - one isn't likely to be able to figure out what in hell is really going on. As I always say - at least TRY to abstract from ones personal situation/status/salary. All roads are leading to a virtual collapse of the Capitalist order - yes, this will have personal consequences - but for those with what they like to call a "social conscience" - rather meaningless and ambiguous concept - but by whatever name - I like to call it a Revolutionary Will - another pile of words - but, point being a NEW WORLD in birth.
Haha - "A new world in birth" - talk about verbiage - I think it's getting harder all the time to speak without cliches. That line reminds me of a canditate back in the 80's I think - Gary Hart - EVERY speach mentioned "New Ideas" at least 10 times - Mondale, his opponent came out with a clever add - "Whar's the Beaf ?". Concretely - what I meant by a new world was one governed by reason - a Rationally Planned Socialist Economy - you will say "who's reason" - because I know you, and that's a good question - which we can expore at length at another time. .Back in the 60's two Socialist economists Barron and Sweezy, founders of "Monthly Reliew", made an attempt to calculate the WASTAGE in the modern Capitalist System - ENORMOUS - and times greater today. A level of irrationality which I sincerely doubt obtained in Ancient Egypt, for example.
It’s important to know ‘who’s version if rational’ before we join the movement. There have been quite a few revolutions coopted by corrupt non-rational bullies who turned national economies into their own fiefdoms. How do you protect against that history repeating itself?
That's easy - Follow Dave Mann - lol.
No, no easy answers there, obviously. That's one reason for the multiplicity of theories, practices and SPLITS.
You still listening to the "Revolutions Podcast" ?? The guy seems to have insight based on historical experience - into which he's taken a serious deep dive.
One of the common post-revolutionary stages that Mike Duncan points out is the ‘entropy of victory’. Turns out that all those vague ‘new world order’ speeches that held the revolutionaries together glossed over some important details that are in fact very difficult to resolve once the dust settles. Like, who is going to govern? Is anyone opposed to that person considered a counterrevolutionary and deserves no quarter? What to do with all the assets taken from the old economic regime? Who lays the bricks and who does the accounting?!
A sampling of Grover Furr.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_22NzNKbWvE
The only revolution I (think) I know something about, is the Russian. There, as everyone knows, there broke out all sorts of struggles for power. I suppose it's "only natural" to prefer leading to being led. That's the psychological factor. Differing estimates, conceptions, programs also - but the psychological, ie, spiritual, aspect loomed large. Right now I'm giving a fair hearing to those defending Stalin's leadership - "Finish Bolschevic", Grover Furr, and others. I've also read Trotsky - quite a big chunk anyway. I'll let you know if I ever arrive at solid conclusions. That history IS important since it divides the Left forces today.
As an office worker myself I suppose that I fit in your category of those that don’t physically lay the bricks, but rather manage resources that eventually incentivize someone (aka, a skilled mason) to lay the bricks.
But I don’t see the distinction between my job and a similar white collar worker in the Chinese or Libyan states. Even the pharaohs had beancounters. I’m not sure that the particular political-economic ‘’-ism” is ever going to change that.
There are many intermediate layers - and as you imply, socialism (and Egypt) needs administrators. Marx commented that in Socialism the accounting profession will be the most essential of all. The issue is - what CLASS holds power. In Capitalism most of the wealth, and ALL of the Power (consequently) is in the hands of the corporate Capitalist Class, ie, Blackrock, State Street, Blackstone, Amazon, etc. If one is oblivious to that fact - the Dictatorship of Capital - one isn't likely to be able to figure out what in hell is really going on. As I always say - at least TRY to abstract from ones personal situation/status/salary. All roads are leading to a virtual collapse of the Capitalist order - yes, this will have personal consequences - but for those with what they like to call a "social conscience" - rather meaningless and ambiguous concept - but by whatever name - I like to call it a Revolutionary Will - another pile of words - but, point being a NEW WORLD in birth.
Haha - "A new world in birth" - talk about verbiage - I think it's getting harder all the time to speak without cliches. That line reminds me of a canditate back in the 80's I think - Gary Hart - EVERY speach mentioned "New Ideas" at least 10 times - Mondale, his opponent came out with a clever add - "Whar's the Beaf ?". Concretely - what I meant by a new world was one governed by reason - a Rationally Planned Socialist Economy - you will say "who's reason" - because I know you, and that's a good question - which we can expore at length at another time. .Back in the 60's two Socialist economists Barron and Sweezy, founders of "Monthly Reliew", made an attempt to calculate the WASTAGE in the modern Capitalist System - ENORMOUS - and times greater today. A level of irrationality which I sincerely doubt obtained in Ancient Egypt, for example.