Re: Thinking out loud

Do we have to get into a semantic debate here? The Reagan "revolution" was
not a revolution. There was no transfer of power from one class to another.
Most of Reagan's appointees were utterly acceptable to the same people that
supported Jimmy Carter.  Those who went against the main branch of the
"finance capitalists/big corporations/so-called "Eastern Establishment" were
slapped around a little (Oliver North), and a few of Reagan-Bush foreign
policies were changed back (not much) by Clinton, but it was not a
revolution in either case.

I suppose, like the caterpillar in "Alice in Wonderland", we can use words
any way we want to. I recently purchased a "revolutionary" new household
cleaning product. At least, that's what the label says, and who am I to
argue against the way "the public" wants to use words ?

As a side point, or maybe the main point, "Marxist analysis" is probably
more in touch with today's reality than it has been in about 70 years. It is
being painstakingly reconstructed, with many zigs and zags, based on
attempts to objectively analyze the world situation. While Marxist analysis
may have been more confident and seemingly coherent during the latter part
of the 20th century, it was often riddled with vestiges, illusions, errors
of nationalism, some narrow economic determinism,  some psychological
determinism. Some of that is being shed now. No doubt whatever is developed
now will still have some inaccuracies/errors. But presumably we will get
closer to more accurate understandings and strategies. Meanwhile, the
unbelievably oppressive immiseration of most of the world's working class
continues, even as we are treated to intellectuals (I'm not referring to
you, Richard), who smugly assure us that Marxism is no longer relevant
because capitalism will improve the lives of everyone on Earth.

Alan Spector




----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard K. Moore" <richard@cyberjournal.org>
To: "Louis Proyect" <lnp3@panix.com>
Cc: <wsn@csf.colorado.edu>
Sent: Thursday, November 30, 2000 5:22 AM
Subject: Re: Thinking out loud


>
> 11/29/2000, Louis Proyect wrote:
>  >Sorry, Richard. I was using Marxist terminology. In Marxist terms,
>  >there was no Reagan-Thatcher revolution...
>
> ...implying Marxist analysis is out of touch with today's reality??
>