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If "protection" has nothing to do with Shane's argument, "right" has even less to do with where the artifacts should be displayed, since right is a function of property. The artifacts were looted and represent the achievement of imperialism-- that is to say: imperialism's collecting of souvenirs as it destroys the lives and the culture of the territories it invades. That's is the basis for the "rights of peacable museum custodians, not to mention museum visitors." But let's see: An archeologist representing the state that governs the territory where the artifacts originated asks for the return of the looted artifacts for display in a new museum that will be open to the public-- and because what? -- because Egypt is not a model of democracy, as the UK has been in its democratic treatment of the Irish, of the inhabitants of Pakistan and India, as it so handsomely demonstrated in Kenya, the artifacts should stay right there in Britain, adding to the tourist revenues of the British bourgeoisie, who, after all, need the money in the worst way? And oh... let's keep in mind the obligation to preserve such artifacts, protect them from the destructive bigotry of the rulers of some of the areas from which the artifacts are looted.... Except here's the thing: the most important thing any Marxist can do, the thing every Marxist must do at every instance is to distinguish Marxism, distinguish the actions, policies, and the "rights" of the proletariat, of socialism, from the actions and polices and "rights" of the bourgeoisie, in particular the bourgeoisie of its own country. The reason that must be done, without equivocation, without temporizing over the rights of "police-state regimes" vs. the rights of peacable museum custodians, is that without the distinction, without that implacable opposition to the veneer of bourgeois culture and bourgeois "civilization," there is no opposition to the reality of imperialist looting, capitalist exploitation, and the destruction of human life outside the museum doors. If and when Nigeria demands the return of every tribal mask taken from its tribes, if and when the indigenous peoples of Latin American demand the return of every piece of jewelry taken from them, Marxists have every interest in demanding those peacable museum custodians give up their loot, regardless of the "quality" of the government making the demands. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Shane Mage" <shm...@pipeline.com> To: <sartes...@earthlink.net> Sent: Friday, November 12, 2010 12:00 PM Subject: Re: [Marxism] If only.... ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
