[Peace-discuss] Third try

[C. G. Estabrook]

Slavoj Zizek made the point, as he often has, when he visited UIUC last
spring.  He noted "a fundamental difference between the goals of feminist,
anti-racist, anti-sexist struggles on the one hand, and class struggle on
the other. In the first case, the goal is to translate antagonism into
difference (the peaceful coexistence of sexes, religions, ethnic groups),
but the goal of class struggle is precisely the opposite: to aggravate
class difference into class antagonism. To set up a series of equivalences
between race, gender and class is to obscure the peculiar logic of class
struggle, which aims at overcoming, subduing, even annihilating the other
-- if not its physical being, then at least its socio-political role and
function. In the one case, we have a horizontal logic involving mutual
recognition among different identities; in the other, we have the logic of
struggle with an antagonist."

Although racial discrimination (and even gender discrimination) are quite
useful to the state terrorists prosecuting the Long War (as the Bush
administration is now calling it) -- the torture policy is a horrific
illustration -- they are not the source of the war.  The source is to be
found in the international class struggle, as the US war aims in Iraq make
clear.  Racial and gender discrimination are of course real evils of our
society and must be opposed, but the IP approach is often a diversion from
and a substitute for active opposition to the source of the war (as we saw
in small compass last Sunday evening). --CGE


On Tue, 4 Jan 2005, Alfred Kagan wrote:

> >>> I am going to be direct in answering Carl's message which I think is
> >>> based on simplistic assumptions. I am also forwarding it to Imani
> >>> Bazell and Sundiata Cha-Jua because I value their advice.
> >>>
> >>> First of all, just as the term "political correctness" is used by the
> >>> right to attack the left, the term "identity politics" is often used
> >>> to attack people who are struggling for justice based on a common
> >>> oppression. Fighting racism or sexism or homophobia is not some kind
> >>> of theoretical problem, it is a necessary part of the struggle to
> >>> create a better world.
> >>>
> >>> Race, gender, and class can't be viewed as entirely separate from 
> >>> each
> >>> other.  In fact, they are bound up within each other. Many argue that
> >>> eliminating class divisions will not by itself eliminate racism and
> >>> sexism. If we had a serious movement for equality and an end to the
> >>> class divisions within capitalist society, the argument to focus
> >>> solely on class might have more weight, but in the current situation
> >>> where racism is increasing alongside increased disparity in wealth, 
> >>> we
> >>> must specifically address racism. (As you know, I think we must
> >>> address the connections between war and racism as often as we can.)
> >>>
> >>> I don't know what the term "reconciliation" means in this context.
> >>> That sounds like head in the clouds liberalism and idealism. People
> >>> like Condi Rice, Colin Powell, and Clarence Thomas serve the ruling
> >>> class.  They will not reconcile with the interests of the majority of
> >>> black folks. On the other hand, certain classes can ally in various
> >>> contexts.  For example, sections of the so-called middle class can
> >>> ally in either direction depending on the circumstances.
> >>>
> >>> If AWARE wants to be seen as a progressive force within the whole
> >>> community, we need to be open to various perspectives.  If we want to
> >>> be open to allying with people who are struggling based on common
> >>> oppressions, we must act in a way to make that possible. This 
> >>> includes
> >>> the way we interact on the listserv, in meetings, and in the way we
> >>> conduct our work.
> >>>
> >>> I think we need to be able to work with the traditional civil rights
> >>> community, black nationalists, radical feminists, the GLBT community,
> >>> and others struggling for a more humane society.  AWARE is not a
> >>> political party, and given the diversity of our membership, it is not
> >>> going to have only one orientation towards race, gender, and class.
> >>>
> >>> I hope we can all agree to respectfully argue our points of view as
> >>> the basis of our work.  I hope we can all agree that no one 
> >>> individual
> >>> has all the right answers all the time (not even Chomsky). And I hope
> >>> that our meeting interactions will reflect the above points.
> 
> Al Kagan
> African Studies Bibliogrpaher and Professor of Library Administration
> University of Illinois Library
> 1408 W. Gregory Drive
> Urbana, IL 61801
> 
> tel. 217-333-6519
> fax 217-333-2214
> akagan at uiuc.edu