I found this discussion very inspiring, however, at some point it is necessary to address the pretense that mainstream ("Neo-Classical") economics can show that markets produce fair outcomes--that people are paid what they deserve, and that the capitalist deserves his reward. I'm no mathematician, and there is math. involved, but people with better math. than me have discussed this--e.g. Steve Keen, but there are many others.
Maria is right in her story of the Harvard intellectual.
We do not need people to answer questions as much as question answers.
But in the age where celebrity journalists comprise, in the US, what is known as the 'left', the cult of individualism rules.
Capitalism commodifies everything.
And then we self-commodify to sell ourselves for patreon contributions and Youtube hits.
This is where we are.
Meanwhile the fascists get stronger.
Arto is right: liberalism is the biggest enemy of Marxist thought and action.
And this is the danger because as Mussolini so aptly noted:
“Fascism recognises the real needs which gave rise to socialism and trade-unionism, giving them due weight in the guild or corporative system in which divergent interests are coordinated and harmonised in the unity of the State.”
Benito Mussolini, 1935, The Doctrine of Fascism, Firenze:Vallecchi Editore. (p.15)
The dialectics of the lack of critical understanding of capitalism and the need for socialism and strategy to achieve it is such that many people who are Marxists of one type or another have found themselves kettled into online corners like Substack or Rumble which like Tor (a military/privatized psyop), assures that the authorities know who is talking to who and where.
Late stage capitalism and its twin brother fascism have now created an environment where the 'alternative' is itself alienated from discourse and easily recognizeable, infiltrated and controlled.
However, on the positive side or the silver lining if there is one, is that it brings programs like your own to millions.
Antonio Gramsci’s observation back in 1930 aptly characterizes the current state:
“The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear.”
We are in the interregnum. And it is hell.
One of the morbidities is the lack of critical thinking. We face binary thinking --- left, right, coca cola, Pepsi, you get it.
To talk about ‘the left” one needs to clearly and precisely define it.
This is never done.
Nor is the vacuous word “progressive”.
The problem is that the fascists have hijacked our language.
And this is leading to a Brown-Red Alliance.
Srtrasserites. Third Position
"Advocates of Third Position politics typically present themselves as "beyond left and right" while syncretizing ideas from each end of the political spectrum, usually reactionary right-wing cultural views and radical left-wing economic views.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]"
A great discussion - which, thanks to Vodafone problems, I was able to listen to here in Ploiesti only on Spotify (many thanks for that!!).
I would have liked a bit more of Maria's references to relevant literature (I couldn;t hear her critical comment on the "simplistic" female writer).
But these 3-way discussions do add an important element.
I found this discussion very inspiring, however, at some point it is necessary to address the pretense that mainstream ("Neo-Classical") economics can show that markets produce fair outcomes--that people are paid what they deserve, and that the capitalist deserves his reward. I'm no mathematician, and there is math. involved, but people with better math. than me have discussed this--e.g. Steve Keen, but there are many others.
Thank you again for your work!
I do not wish to monopolize so this is my last post.
It is important to note also that the movements we see surrounding strong public policies is also infiltrated.
Here is an example of how the FBI used 'anarchism' in an attempt to destroy the anti-War movement in the US in the sixties.
https://geopoliticaleconomy.substack.com/p/in-cointelpro-fbi-used-anarchism
To Arto's point which is well taken:
“Not only is an object produced for the subject, but a type of subject is created for that object.”
---- Karl Marx
Indeed, the question must be what does it mean to be human? What is the good life and what policies promote them and why?
By focusing on humans and their rights we focus on human rights.
And by focusing on human rights we focus on the system called capitalism and it is from here we develop our critique.
Maria is right in her story of the Harvard intellectual.
We do not need people to answer questions as much as question answers.
But in the age where celebrity journalists comprise, in the US, what is known as the 'left', the cult of individualism rules.
Capitalism commodifies everything.
And then we self-commodify to sell ourselves for patreon contributions and Youtube hits.
This is where we are.
Meanwhile the fascists get stronger.
Arto is right: liberalism is the biggest enemy of Marxist thought and action.
And this is the danger because as Mussolini so aptly noted:
“Fascism recognises the real needs which gave rise to socialism and trade-unionism, giving them due weight in the guild or corporative system in which divergent interests are coordinated and harmonised in the unity of the State.”
Benito Mussolini, 1935, The Doctrine of Fascism, Firenze:Vallecchi Editore. (p.15)
https://politicalresearch.org/2005/01/12/mussolini-corporate-state
The fascists are organized and are more dangerous everyday.
One more thought:
The dialectics of the lack of critical understanding of capitalism and the need for socialism and strategy to achieve it is such that many people who are Marxists of one type or another have found themselves kettled into online corners like Substack or Rumble which like Tor (a military/privatized psyop), assures that the authorities know who is talking to who and where.
Late stage capitalism and its twin brother fascism have now created an environment where the 'alternative' is itself alienated from discourse and easily recognizeable, infiltrated and controlled.
However, on the positive side or the silver lining if there is one, is that it brings programs like your own to millions.
Antonio Gramsci’s observation back in 1930 aptly characterizes the current state:
“The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear.”
We are in the interregnum. And it is hell.
One of the morbidities is the lack of critical thinking. We face binary thinking --- left, right, coca cola, Pepsi, you get it.
To talk about ‘the left” one needs to clearly and precisely define it.
This is never done.
Nor is the vacuous word “progressive”.
The problem is that the fascists have hijacked our language.
And this is leading to a Brown-Red Alliance.
Srtrasserites. Third Position
"Advocates of Third Position politics typically present themselves as "beyond left and right" while syncretizing ideas from each end of the political spectrum, usually reactionary right-wing cultural views and radical left-wing economic views.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]"
https://archive.is/mAuFI ARPANET WUB
Like Boyan I do not use the word and ask people what they mean by it when it is used.
The ‘left’ in the US is a 501 (C) 3 movement and/or NGO driven by plutocrats.
It not only doesn't scare the rulers, they support it.
The lack of understanding of capitalism is the problem. False consciousness.
With technology this lack of understanding will prevail.
The material conditions for social change are present, it is the subjective conditions among most people that is lacking.
“It is easier to imagine the end of the world than imagine the end of capitalism.”
---- Mark Fisher
https://files.libcom.org/files/Capitalist%20Realism_%20Is%20There%20No%20Alternat%20-%20Mark%20Fisher.pdf