Around the pseudo-maoist blogsphere, Leftspot[sic] put out a call for a day of blogging dedicated to Fred Hampton, the Chicago Black Panther who was murdered by the pigs on December 4th, 1969. The response to this call was pretty dismal and as always thoroughly unimpressive.
All and all, the “Fred Hampton Day” posts were really lame. Very few focused in the least bit on his line. Most were biographies with little value. These blogs would have been better off to just post a link to wikipedia.
Leftspot’s post was by far the best. This is due to the fact that it wasn’t a biography and it did focus on Hampton’s politics. However, this blog was unable to make any critical assessment of these politics almost 40 years after the fact. Likewise, instead of relating Hampton’s politics to current situations, Leftspot just dogmatically applies Hampton’s praxis regarding internally oppressed nationalities (specifically the Black nation) during the 60’s to amerika as a whole today. This particular type of unscientific reasoning is the result of an idealist, not materialist, view of global class structures and history.
Leftspot’s post focuses a lot on “mass-line.” For those that are unaware, mass-line is a Maoist method of organizing and mobilizing the masses. In mass-line, the revolutionary organization takes the needs, desires, ideas from the masses and returns it to them synthesized with revolutionary politics. From here, the masses and the cadres can engage in these ideas, plans, campaigns etc together and thereby solidify their ties. The Black Panther Party’s free breakfast program is an example of mass-line.
Leftspot, in his general noncomprehension of global class structures, slavishly applies “mass-line” to the First World where there is no mass base for revolution. In this respect, Leftspot differs from Bob Avakian and the RCP which has all but given up on mass-line, declaring it to be reformist in nature and “workerist” (whatever the fuck that means). Although a mere intuitive assessment of the futility of applying mass-line in the context of the First World, Bob Avakian and the RCP are nonetheless more correct than LeftSpot.
Leftspot, in his idiotic redundancy, states that people learn from observation and participation. He says that revolutionaries need to learn the same way: by getting out there and by, in a “revolutionary” way, working around the issues felt by the “masses”. Red Guard Camp sincerely hopes that Leftspot follows his own advise. Only by getting out there and working with no success will people like him be able to intuitively understand that there is no revolutionary potential amongst the First World “masses.”
Of course, there is an easier way to figure this out. That is by global class analysis: studying who’s living off whom. It’s not hard. Unfortunately people like Leftspot and the whole pseudo-marxist bunch have proven time and time again that they simply do not care about facts, numbers or statistics.
Oh well Leftspot, I guess you’ll find out the hard way.
Later,
Red Guard Camper
Update: RGC has decided to make this a four (maybe five) part series on "Mass-Line".
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As a comparison to LeftSpot’s platitudes, RGC invites everyone to view a recent post by Monkey Smashes Heaven. In this post, MSH celebrates the 100th birthday of Lin Piao by offering a current assessment of his line. Through viewing both of these posts (LeftSpot's and MSH’s), one can see for themselves and better understand the difference between a Maoist and a non-maoist analysis.
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4 comments:
First, workers in the first world are part of the international working class. Marx said workers of the world unite. It is extremely reactionary to claim treat workers like they're bosses. In the US workers are exploited and propertyless. your petty bourgeois third world nationalist masturbation is anti-worker and anti-marxist.
Second, Why not contribute something yourself? What are you doing for the revolution just critiquing the left. That is disgusting, capitalism is the enemy what you're doing is just trying to split the revolutionary movement further. That's why MIM never actually exisisted and now apparently doesn't even in name.
Excellent post, RGC. Keep up the good work.
My reply to LeftHenry
First, workers in the first world are part of the international working class.
In a metaphysical sense, sure.
Marx said workers of the world unite.
I quite honestly don’t care what Marx said . I care about the Marxist method. That is the difference between dogmatism and genuine Marxism.
It is extremely reactionary to claim treat workers like they're bosses.
Are we members of the IWW or self-proclaimed Maoists? Such a shallow analysis must seem really cool and groundbreaking when you call yourself the latter.
In the US workers are exploited and propertyless. your petty bourgeois third world nationalist masturbation is anti-worker and anti-marxist.
Half own stock. This section has quite literally, at least to some degree, bought into imperialism. As for exploited, I have yet to see you properly define just what “exploited” means. Sure, it’s a word that you and other pseudo maoist throw around a lot, but what exactly does it mean. And please LeftHenry, I don’t want to read stories about exploitated people- I want to see some sort of mathematical explanation that that ties in to today’s objective conditions. Give it a try.
Second, Why not contribute something yourself?
How do you know I’m not? That sentence wasn’t a political challenge to anything I’m saying or doing. It was a defensive gesture that implies your intuitive understanding that “mass-line“ pipedreams are futile. I just hope your can go back to square one, correct your views on imperialism, parasitism and the labor aristocracy and then finally be able to better understand and apply mass-line.
What are you doing for the revolution just critiquing the left.
Now you see, that is a loaded question. It assumes that you and your strain of so-called “Maoism” are actually a part of the “Left.” But whatever, the idea of a “left” outside of maoist terminology is liberal.
That is disgusting, capitalism is the enemy what you're doing is just trying to split the revolutionary movement further.
Is this line written in some sort of pseudo-maoist/crypto-trot handbook?.. It reveals a certain metaphysical type of thinking in those that make such pronouncements. In the same vein…
Since when has criticism be intrinsically antithetical to the overall revolutionary movement? Hell, Lenin basically denounced the whole of European parties in the Second International. Was he trying to split the movement also? Or, did he advance it?
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Ya, I know, this was pretty harsh and somewhat sophomoric. But there were some very genuine points interlaced in my reply. In that spirit I invite LeftHenry or anyone else to pick one or two fundamental points and type a well thought-out reply. For the sake of provoking discussion, I suggest posting such a replying to one’s own blog, not my comment board. And please, when typing these responses, try (i mean seriously try) to impress me.
Red Guard Camper
Please do not waste your time in "struggle" with these idiots. The white-nationalist First World "left" must be written off as enemies. I don't even want to talk politics with anyone who sees Amerikans as "exploited."
You can't make these hardened enemies see the light. Your time is far better spent on moving Maoism forward. Let the Che-loving phony "Maoists" rot.
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