[Marxism] RE: Class and Institutions

["Calvin Broadbent" <calvinbroadbent@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply Jurriaan. All I really meant to say in my last post is
that our consciousness and our thinking develops in so far as we provide
substance and meaning to the ideas and signals used by our peers through
practical engagement in and with the social world. This social world
unfortunately happens to be organised on the basis of class. Thus, most
(perhaps all!) of our practical relations with the world take place within
the confines of our class position. I do not think Joe was being overly
rhetorical when he said social being determines consciousness, nor do I
think Marx was when he said the same. Such fundamental tenets of historical
materialism may appear passe these days, but I happen to think that they are
fundamentally true and can be verified by examining exactly how our thinking
develops through time and space.

As for class meaning different things in different countries- this may well
be very true. That does not mean to say that there are not objectively
verifiable class structures operant in a given country. The latter can
indeed be articulated and verified by examining a individual or group or
nation's relation to the local, national, or international means of
production as these dynamically develop, in part through class struggle
grounded in relative class consciousness.

Anyway, thanks for your messages- very helpful.

all the best.

JURRIAAN WROTE:

I don't disagree with the substance of what you say, Calvin. I am merely
saying that you cannot directly deduce all kinds of things from somebody's
class position, and this is especially true if 80% of the population
consists of wage and salary earners.


There once was a girl
without a hope in the world,
Who thought that the problem was class.
She met up with a guy,
Who said "I know why,
You got to learn how to kick some ass."

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