Re: [Marxism] MRZine and sex change operations in Iran

[nada <dwaltersMIA@xxxxxxxxx>]

"There is something pathological about Yoshie Furuhashi's obsession with 
The Iranian Clerical regime. When I knew her she was such a strong 
feminist. I wonder how she squares that circle."

Eric, there are former list members, maybe current ones, who hold this 
similar obsession. I don't like to call it that because Yoshie, et al, 
are still fundamentally very *political* people & to reduce this to 
physiological expression detracts from the political problems or issues 
this raises.

Clearly they react not as a "alternative" or only as starry-eyed 
admiration and misplaced anti-Imperialism, but because of the failure of 
the left and workers movement to pose a serious challenge, to project an 
alternative leadership. Thus, when a regime is *attacked* by Imperialism 
for pulling on their puppet strings to hard, this regime is transformed 
into something "anti-Imperialist" even though it is nothing of the sort. 
I admit Yoshie took this qualitatively too far, but I see this with the 
*unabashed* admirer's of any leader, anywhere, that comes on the seen 
and is attacked by Imperialism. I've seen it with admirers of Lula in 
Brazil, for example, and even the super-uncritical followers of Chavez 
in Venezuela (but not those IN Venezuela, but from afar, say, the United 
States). There really is not that much difference in method here.

To be clear, I think Chavez IS anti-Imperialist, consciously so, from a 
socialist perspective. But he is not above criticism. The Yoshie's of 
the world then attack you for being a Marxist who can't help but 
critique, question and challenge our movement.

David

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