RE: [Marxism] To Tony Abdo

["Tony Abdo" <gojack10@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Lou, you and others want to paint me as hostile to marxism and/ or hostile
to this list.    But that is far from the truth.     I am a marxist and find
that your list is the best place to get info, find debate, and participate
in it.    I merely want some personal space to not be flamed when I post my
opinions, or others do so.     No matter how backward, ignorant, or wrong
you or others may think them to be.    It's not really so much to sak, I
don't think.

Why not stop seeing in me some sort of hostile opponent?   If you were not
(along with others) trying to label me as ultraleft, a nut, somebody with
obsessions and other personal problems, etc..... then maybe my tone would be
less defensive.    You and others are perceiving my comments as being
personally hostile (and politically hostile), when they are not.    And you
are responding with extreme nastiness.

This DOES very much remind me of the old SWP environment.      I might not
have been inside that organiztion for so many years, but I was very much
working alongside of it, for a much longer period of time.    This, you
might not know?     And the only reason that this co-work stopped was due to
the more and more outlandish withdrawal from real political work of the SWP
in the '80s.   I was a good rank and filer and a good sympathizer and got
burned as so many other did.

I didn't get expelled from the SWP.     I was more or less given the same
sort fo plea, like you are doing with me this sec, that I 'voluntarily'
leave.    And it was coupled with threats to expel me if I opened my mouth
in certain ways, same as you threatened if I posted to the theme of Green
Party again.    My crime was ridiculing the "Turn to the Working Class".

You knoiw what?     It was good that I left then, because if I had tried to
defend the bullshit coming down, then it would have turned me away from
socialism altogether.     And you know what?    I think that your list is a
better place with most of the people intact and not threatened.    You do
your own list a disservice when you get too motivated to micromanage it by
trying to get all cleaned up and pure, so to speak.    Here's hoping that
you relax some, and hoping that you let me relax, too.    After all, my
latest post raised some interesting points, did it not?    Why not just
allow them to be discussed some?    It won't do any harm, not to you, nor
world communism.

So to reiterate, YES, I do find the list to be a good place "simply to
exchange ideas".    Now let me do so without threatening me.    I am not
trying to tear down or idsparage marxist theory in some underhanded manner.

Wishing you the best...   I doubt that you believe me on this, but still it
is true.

Comradely, Tony Abdo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To :  Activists and scholars in Marxist tradition
<marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject :  [Marxism] To Tony Abdo

Tony Abdo wrote:
   "Shouldn't you be at the plant gate selling newspapers?"    One can see
that if that were to be the case, then a marxist might not enjoy the best of
life styles.    So this Stakhanovist workerist mentality in marxist circles
(and it is a deep layer indeed) works to push wannabe commies and liberal
minded thinkers away.    I see often on this list, a kind of intellectualed
version of this plant-gate Stakhanovist thinking.


Tony, I want to urge you in the strongest possible terms to leave this email
list immediately. Leaving aside the question of your absurd
mischaracterization of Marxmail as encouraging "Stakhanovist thinking",
there is no purpose being served if you feel this way. Marxmail is organized
on a far more voluntary basis than a Marxist-Leninist sect. Nobody forces
you to sell newspapers or contribute money. In fact when people offered in
the past to help out financially, I told them it was not necessary. In the
back of my mind--frankly--was the worry that this might lead to a
misunderstanding of our purpose. We are not here to organize a revolutionary
party, but simply to exchange ideas. If you (or anybody else) does not feel
that purpose is being served, you should exercise your freedom of
association and go somewhere else.


Louis Proyect
Marxism list: www.marxmail.org


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