Re: on Bhaskar's politics was Re: BHA: DPF introductory chapter

["Andrew Hagen" <xah@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Mon, 05 Feb 2001 07:24:10 +1000, Gary MacLennan wrote:

>[....]
>As for being anti-Lenin.  Of course.  But over on the
><marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Lou Proyect has argued strongly and convincingly
>that much of what we call "Leninism", especially with regard to political
>organisation really comes from Zinoviev.

Oh. I guess you're right. We'll just excuse all of Lenin's psychotic
tendencies, like the orders he gave to kill his political enemies.
Let's just remember that that was Zinoviev. While we're at it, why
don't we rehabilitate Robespierre?

Lenin was probably the worst thing to ever happen to the movement.
Stalin, Etc was just a predictable aftershock. I cannot understand how
a Leninist could think that Bhaskar adds something to Leninist dogma.
The whole of CR and DCR are intended to explode Leninism and allow the
use of dialectic for emancipatory purposes. I explained part of this in
my "DPF introductory chapter" post to the list. All Gary had to say
was, in effect, that anything bad in Lenin was the responsibility of
somebody else, like Zinoviev, or Stalin. This underhanded response
serves a sad commentary on the state of left wing politics today.

On the other hand, I guess we shouldn't be too surprised. Whenever
left-wing libertarianism gets going, there come the Leninists,
Stalinists, or some other secular cult to take the credit and ruin the
movement's chances of actually helping people.

Quit trying to mystify who Lenin was, or what he did. He was a brutal
dictator who effectively destroyed any chance of real, lasting
liberation occurring in the 20th Century. If you think Leninism will
get another free ride in the 21st Century, then I beg to differ. I've
dealt with your kind before, and I know your secrets. There will be no
end to the struggle to resist secularism, cultism, and all the rest.
There will be a relentless attack on everything standing in the way of
liberation. And if you don't get that yet, you haven't yet read Bhaskar
(or the Old Man) in good faith.

A prediction. Any public response from Leninists on this list will
consist of the standard crybaby tactics, obscurantism, and personal
attacks. They will not reply to the substance of my remarks.

In Solidarity (the real kind),

Andrew Hagen
xah@xxxxxxxxxxxxx



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