[Marxism] A guy thing

["Joaquin Bustelo" <jbustelo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Steffi writes: "Another part of it, I believe, is the competitive,
dominating dynamic on many list serves. My experience is that women consider
a discussion productive when people come closer together or understand each
other better but don't feel elation or satisfaction when one side wins over
another." 

And not just email lists. 

On of the peculiarities of the Atlanta immigrant rights movement has been
that the strongest and most widely recognized leader of the movement here
is, and has been for quite a few years, a woman; and that in the leading
layer of the activist wing of the movement women predominate.

The style of meeting and discussion is very different from other political
experiences I have had. It is much less "ideological" and much more social
(not tea party "social" but relating to how society really functions) and
political (not ideological "political" but relating to people in motion and
how to mobilize them).

My conclusion is that much of the way the left, including social and protest
movements, traditionally functions is in fact exclusionary.

Process is politics. The processes of the left traditionally have been
hierarchical, male-dominated, and star driven. The parliamentary paradigm is
not at all neutral, not in terms of gender, nationality or class.

We need to at least be aware of these issues with a great deal more clarity
than some of the boys on this list have demonstrated in recent days.

Joaquín



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