Dennis wrote about the hard work required to get the union movement on track. On LBO, Rakesh wrote about the accusation of the divisiveness of identity politics. On Marxism, Carrol Cox just wrote about the superior organizational strength of the status quo vs. the left. Here we are on pen-l. In a way, we can be part of the problem -- typing into our keyboards and reading screens. Capital has developed strong organizational systems to support their power. Virtually every day, I read about some new right wing think tank powered by enormous financial resources. On marxism, they are discussing the importance of humor as an organizational tool. They are correct. Dennis is correct about the hard grun work involved. Ellen writes in about the Bronfenbrenner case, where capital uses its strength to silence those who speak up. All these threads seem to lead in one direction -- about the need to organize. I have always felt that the great weakness of the left was that we lacked a model, not a mathematical model, but a model of what a good society could be like. The counterculture in the 1960s was successful for two reasons -- 1) there was a real economic safety net; i.e., most of the middle class kids knew that as soon as they wanted to leave the counter culture, a good job was waiting for them. 2) More important, the counterculture could promise some fun -- sex, drugs, rock & roll, etc. With more questions than answers, -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 916-898-5321 E-Mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
