[Marxism] RE: Moderator's note

["Tony Abdo" <gojack10@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I want to address briefly this question of 'civility' during election years,
since I think that it relates to much more than on just how I express myself
on this list.  To do this, I'd like to look at a comment made by Jose and
also express my apologies here, if I have truly been uncivil in this
discussion.

Here is Jose's take on things..

<<The *majority* of working people, confronted with THIS situation, go
fishing on election day, as Fidel famously said. And the deeper down you
dig among the more oppressed and exploited layers of the working class,
the bigger the fishing faction gets. In the November presidential elections,
about half the people will vote. But among those with family incomes of,
say, $50,000 or more, the BIG
MAJORITY will vote, among those earning less than $50,000, the big
majority will NOT vote.>>

This is a fair summation of the situation come election propaganda cycles,
but what on earth does it have to do with 'civility'?

Well, it is that it all has to do with the LECTURE delivered to us of the
fishing crowd by the true believers, no matter what stripe they wear.  The
lecture is invariably the same; 'Vote, or you are not doing your civic duty,
Low Life.'  This lecture comes down from ahigh, just as invariably as Judge
Judy or Judge Joe will lecture the convicted and condemned.

Heck, we expect this sort of snotty attitude from those making greater than
$50,000 a year.  It's their loyalty oath for us, this vote thing they get
all absorbed and wrapped up in.  Not to vote for them is like not standing
at attention at the ballgame when the national anthem is sung and the prayer
is said.  It labels you as a vermin and a louse if you don't go along with
what they demand of you, which is TO VOTE.

But what about all those nice intellectuals like Al Franken, or maybe his
lower income hordes of clones (since Al most certainly is in the over
$50,000 a year crowd)?  How does it make one feel, when some oaf earning say
$35,000, proudly begins to parade his pride in being so supposedly
responsible and all, and planning to vote John Kerry, say?  He begins to
needle you constantly, and talk about what a fine, important thing it would
be, if we all were such outstanding citizens militantly prepared to stop the
Christian Mullahs of the RP, all by just going out TO VOTE.

Despite all their rationales given for why they will vote for one candidate
or the other in the 2-party arena, the below $50,000 voter is really
primarily endorsing the legitimacy of the charade.  He  is personally going
to pass the loyalty exam given to them by the rulers and better off minions,
and he demands that you do so, too.  Or, he's going to have pity and shame
for you, and might stop wanting to be seen with the likes of someone who
sits and talks fish during the singing of the anthem.

In other words, every election year becomes an incessant and uncivil series
of the same sales pitch, and  it is somewhat like if a telemarketer was to
repeatedly call your house at all hours and days, needling you about what an
unfortunate fool you are for repeatedly not buying their product.  It's
tiresome, it is.

And the clones of Al Franken and Michael Moore are the worst in this regard.
 Few of the Christian mullahs threaten any non-voter in their ranks with
eternal hell, but the liberal mullahs seem to do just that!  They become
postively frantic in this regard.  They don't want you to go fishing on
loyalty oath day, so as to let the ultimate evil stay in power.  An eternity
is at stake.  Our soul.  These are marketers determined to make the sale.

The lower class truly is made to feel like al-qaeda. They see that their
vote doesn't matter; they know that their vote doesn't matter; yet somehow
it matters if they don't go out and vote!  All the Al and Michael clones are
assuring them of that, and not just the rich.

Yes, not just the rich are on their case for their proclivity to fish at
election time. The rich often say hardly a word about this loyalty oath they
demand we take, but the liberal intellectuials take it deeply to heart.  You
can see their great disappointment in you, that you went fishing rather than
pull the lever for Edwards and Kerry.  Somehow, your moral degeneracy of not
taking the loyalty oath seriously, has imperilled all future civilization!
Didn't you not know that?

Well in fact, you didn't. You had a difference of opinion there that's all.
But you'd never know it from how they look at you, and make you feel like
such a leper and pariah for having failed to pass the loyalty oath yet one
more time!  The vote is an important thing, and you wasted yours, they will
say.  You didn't vote!  How could you be such a backward dumbass?

All one can do, is look guiltily towards the ground, and promise to pass the
loyalty test come next time around.  It seems that we have upset the
'opponents' of The System, because we simply failed to participate fully in
The System.  And the rulers will look at their liberal counselors, and they
will snicker.  They didn't think much of us anyway.  But still, why did the
radicals want us to vote?  Run it by us once again.  They thought that
change could be voted in?

Tony

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