Part 2
Developing class identity is an essential prerequisite, an indispensable stage of the process of the development of communist ideology. Without the fight for the practical unity both of the revolutionaries and of our class, there is no way that the visionary message can be delivered powerfully and effectively.
An organization or at this stage a network of revolutionaries has to be integrally connected with the social movement, but it has to stay focused on the purpose of its connection. When the objective agenda of history is to fight out the quantitative stages of capitalism's growth, the dominant requirement of leadership is its practical aspects. But when society is undergoing a qualitative transition, those leaders who limit themselves to the practical aspects of the struggle - action, (and to simply reacting against the current situation) can't help but end up being reactionary. This is so because a class cannot be liberated on the basis of the unity of its sectors. Rather, the sector is liberated on the basis of the unity of the class. Class unity is economic and not an ideological disposition. Fighting from the perspective of a sector pits one sector against another because sector interest is defined as the fight for political liberties and not for economic emancipation!
. In this period, you can't be a leader without vision; but that doesn't mean visionaries aren't practical.
Likewise, we have to keep in focus the purpose of being visionary: to unite the revolutionaries around communism - economics. In one way or another, from one angle or another, the revolutionaries produced by the brutal destruction of society are committed to changing the thinking of the people they influence. Sharpening our ability to speak to the American people in the beginning of the "leap in their thinking" in turn sharpens our ability to gather together these revolutionaries. Uniting the revolutionaries around communism will allow them to accomplish what they're actually trying to do.
To meet the challenges of this moment, we will have to learn from the history of our country the role of religion in the thinking of the American people. In order to effectively deliver the content of our message, we have to adjust its forms to the historically evolved forms in which people think things out. "I am my brothers keeper, even if he is my sister or in between."
But there is another important lesson in this history: We have to align our message to the stage of the response to the social revolution. People feel the disruption of society in their stomachs and their hearts. Telling someone to fight discrimination or what is the same "support the blacks" appears as insanity to the people facing ruin and derails the formation of class conscousness. Further "the blacks" are proletarians.
He is an example from work yesterday of where the "people" are at. George asks for the early out sheet to sign his name so that he can go home if there are to many blackjack dealers. In such cases the company allows people to go home without pay. Sharon says they have not put the sign out sheet up yet, but have to because of the union. Sharon further states this is a good thing for people who choose to go home but as you know "I am anti-union."
"The union only protects the people who do not want to follow the rules, come to work on time and get in trouble. A person looking for a job that is lucky enough to be hired by the company should follow its policy. After all the company is generous enough to hire you. The union made things worse for the blackjack dealers by combining all of us together with other company employees. Without the union I would quality for 5 weeks vacation this year but just get two. The union said not to worry because we would get 8 paid holidays, but we have to work on holidays anyway. Further, the UAW workers get triple time for holiday work and we do not. Nor do we get tips for our holidays, which means all we get is $48.00 plus the days pay for working. Who needs a union to get what you are already getting and less vacation time?"
Sharon of course has a vision of how she believes things should be organized.
Within this environment the management and administrative personal follow one line, which states:
"the union is not a bad idea, but it no longer represents the people who come to work everyday but the complainers and people who do not want to work but get paid. I am not against the idea of the union but the real union today looks after its leaders and the 10% of the workforce that all ways mess up and complain. What about the majority?"
On a very elementary level a broad section of people in our country have to be won to the idea that corporations primary responsibility is to the individual family and member of society and not profits. This is a profound moral question that hinges on how shall society be organized to meet the needs of its citizens. An understanding that companies - businesses, are organized to meet a need has to be fought for. A major ideological battle has to take place against the profit motive or very few people in America will end up with medical coverage. Such a fight is the ideological battle for communism or the society of associated producers.
Counterpoised to this immediate task is the voice of the fringe elements - sectarians, calling for a Marxist Party or Marxist association and not an organization, network or alliance of revolutionaries. There is a difference in these "two lines."
The fight for a Marxist Party as such is an entirely different process governed by and dependent upon the winning of the ideological battle. The ideological battle cannot be won on the basis of the "blacks" or "women" although the fight against discrimination of all hue is important. The call for a Marxist Party is sectarian in our specific context and time frame.
"Who make(s) the revolution?"
The revolution "done happened" but is only in its early stage. Fighting white chauvinism and male supremacy or gender rights or the sexual freedom of expression front as the front of battle is a misunderstanding of the changes in society and allows the fascist to recruit the revolutionaries generated on the basis of the objective process. These new social forces are being increasingly ruined and told that male supremacy is the most important front or the struggle against white chauvinism. Our proletariat was not formed as the result of the transition from feudalism and in its historic thinking, "follows the money." This is true of the women proletarians as well as the white, black, brown, yellow, red, homosexual, descendants of freemen, descendants of slaves, etc,.
These new social forces - revolutionaries, are in the main at a certain stage in their social consciousness but have not a clue as to the economic underpinning of society. Yet when one mentions this obvious fact they are told and called reductionist.
Fine.
Society has to be reduced to components the new social forces can understand, so that they can begin to learn how and why classes must fight for their material survival and prosperity.
Science - the study of law systems, have never won a war. The application of science to a war theater ensures ones defeat. What wins battle is art and the art of battle is a feature of doctrine and vision. It should not be forgotten that Herr Hitler espoused a doctrine and understood the art of battle for the hearts and minds of the German people - working class, shop owners and farmers.
Society will in fact complete its leap from one law system to another sooner or later. The difference between sooner or later could be 100 - 200 years. For ones whose life span is less than 100 years this is a long time to suffer.
Melvin P.
