Re: International or Internet

[malecki@xxxxxxxxxx (Robert Malecki)]

Chris writes;
>
>If Trotskyists were to resume the attempt to polemicise into being a
>single International, I suspect they would run into similar difficulties
>soon enough again. The harder the polemic, the faster the fragmentation.
>
>So what we are observing is the dynamics of networks, not of
>democratic centralist hierarchies.
>
>It is a medium that is arguably inherently Menshevik, that does not
>easily permit the thrashing out of Lenin's desired "granite" like
>theoretical unity.

I,m not quite sure that the above is true. Although there is a certain
amount of truth that the left at present on the Net will certainly be in a
state of anarchy. However the Internet is also a material thing. I mean
millions and millions of people on line. Our audience for airing subjects
has a medium which in a sense revolutionises the old standing in front of
the state booze store or going to a demonstration to sell printed
material..Naturally not excluding this method either.

In fact the battle of ideas through the Internet gives us the possibility of
reaching a lot of people that we have never been able to talk too. And it
should naturally be used..

One of the pillars of capitalist society is the control of information.
Internet has undermined that control. Thus the whining and laws attempting
to gag free speech..

And for the left which has lived a groupie existence with more social
control rather then ideological control, a good example is the fragmentation
of the left as it comes on to Internet. Forced perhaps for the first time to
interact with other left tendencies threw a battle of ideas is certainly
causing problems for the left. Especially those who do not have a
Bolshevik-Leninists ideology.

Its great that this interaction is taking place and there is a lot of
turmoil. Because in a sense the Internet is a good forum for just thrashing
and clashing of ideas. No more murky cellar locals and one sided propaganda
>from the top down. But a real struggle of ideas.

It will not surprise me a bit that this struggle will force those who have
most to lose ideologically start forbidding there members to be on the list...

However that is political suicide. The struggle of ideas will win on the
Internet over the groupie existence of the post war left..

Naturally becoming dependent on this new technology would also be suicidal.
Because ultimitely it is controlled by the class enemy. Thus the neccesity
of having alternatives to it...

Warm Regards
malecki







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