My view is that if we're not aware of how the wage system operates to transfer the wealth we produce to the capitalist class, we're dead in the water, the movement becomes a pond reproducing the social relation of Capital,, not a river. of desire flowing toward our emancipation from slavery. There is a very real connection between the possession of wealth and the possession of political power over its producers. From the first political State out of the neolithic starting blocks in Sumeria to the present, class rule has been connected to systems of wealth transfer from the producers to the rulers. Of course, the ruling class depends on their priests to legitimise and normalise this reality. There's always pie in the sky for the faithful.
Contra Plato, Form does not determine content. Philosophical Idealism and religious faith breed dogmas and are the basis of faction fighting. Wage-slaves of the world will never gain the power of classwide organisation through turning themselves into categorical Forms. On the contrary, the workers divided will always be defeated..
im an ol guy--turning 75! it amazed me when i was yg, hearing ol comrades talk of how happy, enthused they were at seeing yg folks turning out fighting, etc. me, a yg guy, kept thinking they werent in full control, BUT time gives us ONE thing, & then ONLY if U pay attn---it can give us CONTEXT! the mvt grows, gets more experience wins some, but we are getting stronger
got to remember, our mvt is struggling, trying to find its feet, in horrible conditions, under assualt. workers know they need workers culture, dont call it that, etc. but there isnt a direct historic line back to the CIO. There IS, but, so much was lost in the McCarthy period, for UNIONS/LABOR, not only our party. When we were out a yr in Lorain (8,000---USW 1104) I remember getting Union to org its 1st big march---workers sang "Solidarity Forever, uh, Solidarity Forever &nthe Union makes us strong!" didnt know but the ruments but they knew that it was THEIR song, and by god, theyd sing it (even if they didnt know the fucking words). Difficult time! Assualt from right, religious pukes, corporations (after religious pukes get them to "LOOK over there! Not here, over THERE!" got to have faith in our class/people, we'll take casualties, BUT WE'LL WIN!!
when we here do stuff i always want culture. wkd on rd for USW on strikes, solidarity, etc, and EVERY fight we had had a cultural componite. USW 8888--newport news (lgst af amer local in USA) leaders had a left, our folks, poetry group that wrote/published, handed out labor poems regularly. In Mansfield, AK strike/lock out, chief griever headed a bluegrass band that, (like Pittston miners fight) played at all Union events. Titan workers came to chicago, we wkd w these great giant puppet people, had a Union Blues band. My local 1104, 8,000---Lorain, Oh, was out a yr, we had big local solidarity concerts, used a popular bar owned by striker for events, wrote story, made doc. Often said, 'movements that dont sing--dont move!' hope to run into U someday!
i'm glad to hear of these things bruce. we're definitely not talking about pickets in recent years here in portland, or in most of the country when i used to travel this country all the time.
your issue actually isnt that u hv mixed relations w the little 'leftist' groups u'v wkd with, it is seeing that as a legtimate base. u could be wkg w a rising new labor mvt/the 'labor left.' We hv our divisions, but always see the need to wk for/fight for UNITY! Workers/labor understands unity is ESSENTIAL to winning anything! the guy on the shopfloor understands that. However, the groupings U speak of are NOT based in labor/wkg class/people, thus see their goal as hvg the "best position," etc, argue constantly over long past issues, pissing everyone off, isolating themselves. our party, embedded in labor/people, are doing events in ohio, wkg w mainstream folks, org'g large events, bldg the fight. U belong w the "working class/mainstream left," wkg w the real labor mvt. W CP, wider left, fighting sector of labor. IF U stay w ultras, U greatly limit/harm YOURSELF (& we could use you)
unfortunately, bruce, i'm talking about the left more broadly, including your part of it. one of the events i was disinvited from singing at was a dsa rally for local unions here in portland. this is a bigger problem than you may know. also the labor movement has no interest in music in this country, as you may have noticed. i sing for groups that invite me to do so, generally. in the usa this has meant i don't sing much for anyone, for the past decade or so. no one else does, either, by my observation of those rallies and picket lines with no music at them. in europe i play at labor rallies often, and share stages with union officials and elected political representatives of left parties. it's different there. if you think the labor movement could use music and you're part of this movement, don't tell me to show up at a picket line with my guitar, but invite me to do that, and get your union comrades to set up a union sound system with union sound engineers doing sound for a union musician. in europe, i'd be paid union wages for this service, too.
My view is that if we're not aware of how the wage system operates to transfer the wealth we produce to the capitalist class, we're dead in the water, the movement becomes a pond reproducing the social relation of Capital,, not a river. of desire flowing toward our emancipation from slavery. There is a very real connection between the possession of wealth and the possession of political power over its producers. From the first political State out of the neolithic starting blocks in Sumeria to the present, class rule has been connected to systems of wealth transfer from the producers to the rulers. Of course, the ruling class depends on their priests to legitimise and normalise this reality. There's always pie in the sky for the faithful.
Contra Plato, Form does not determine content. Philosophical Idealism and religious faith breed dogmas and are the basis of faction fighting. Wage-slaves of the world will never gain the power of classwide organisation through turning themselves into categorical Forms. On the contrary, the workers divided will always be defeated..
im an ol guy--turning 75! it amazed me when i was yg, hearing ol comrades talk of how happy, enthused they were at seeing yg folks turning out fighting, etc. me, a yg guy, kept thinking they werent in full control, BUT time gives us ONE thing, & then ONLY if U pay attn---it can give us CONTEXT! the mvt grows, gets more experience wins some, but we are getting stronger
& YOUR job is to keep us all HAPPY while we do it!!
got to remember, our mvt is struggling, trying to find its feet, in horrible conditions, under assualt. workers know they need workers culture, dont call it that, etc. but there isnt a direct historic line back to the CIO. There IS, but, so much was lost in the McCarthy period, for UNIONS/LABOR, not only our party. When we were out a yr in Lorain (8,000---USW 1104) I remember getting Union to org its 1st big march---workers sang "Solidarity Forever, uh, Solidarity Forever &nthe Union makes us strong!" didnt know but the ruments but they knew that it was THEIR song, and by god, theyd sing it (even if they didnt know the fucking words). Difficult time! Assualt from right, religious pukes, corporations (after religious pukes get them to "LOOK over there! Not here, over THERE!" got to have faith in our class/people, we'll take casualties, BUT WE'LL WIN!!
when we here do stuff i always want culture. wkd on rd for USW on strikes, solidarity, etc, and EVERY fight we had had a cultural componite. USW 8888--newport news (lgst af amer local in USA) leaders had a left, our folks, poetry group that wrote/published, handed out labor poems regularly. In Mansfield, AK strike/lock out, chief griever headed a bluegrass band that, (like Pittston miners fight) played at all Union events. Titan workers came to chicago, we wkd w these great giant puppet people, had a Union Blues band. My local 1104, 8,000---Lorain, Oh, was out a yr, we had big local solidarity concerts, used a popular bar owned by striker for events, wrote story, made doc. Often said, 'movements that dont sing--dont move!' hope to run into U someday!
i'm glad to hear of these things bruce. we're definitely not talking about pickets in recent years here in portland, or in most of the country when i used to travel this country all the time.
your issue actually isnt that u hv mixed relations w the little 'leftist' groups u'v wkd with, it is seeing that as a legtimate base. u could be wkg w a rising new labor mvt/the 'labor left.' We hv our divisions, but always see the need to wk for/fight for UNITY! Workers/labor understands unity is ESSENTIAL to winning anything! the guy on the shopfloor understands that. However, the groupings U speak of are NOT based in labor/wkg class/people, thus see their goal as hvg the "best position," etc, argue constantly over long past issues, pissing everyone off, isolating themselves. our party, embedded in labor/people, are doing events in ohio, wkg w mainstream folks, org'g large events, bldg the fight. U belong w the "working class/mainstream left," wkg w the real labor mvt. W CP, wider left, fighting sector of labor. IF U stay w ultras, U greatly limit/harm YOURSELF (& we could use you)
unfortunately, bruce, i'm talking about the left more broadly, including your part of it. one of the events i was disinvited from singing at was a dsa rally for local unions here in portland. this is a bigger problem than you may know. also the labor movement has no interest in music in this country, as you may have noticed. i sing for groups that invite me to do so, generally. in the usa this has meant i don't sing much for anyone, for the past decade or so. no one else does, either, by my observation of those rallies and picket lines with no music at them. in europe i play at labor rallies often, and share stages with union officials and elected political representatives of left parties. it's different there. if you think the labor movement could use music and you're part of this movement, don't tell me to show up at a picket line with my guitar, but invite me to do that, and get your union comrades to set up a union sound system with union sound engineers doing sound for a union musician. in europe, i'd be paid union wages for this service, too.