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The Coop Scoop's avatar

I only met MH once during the 60"s, I had read his book which left me unimpressed at the time (I was about 20 and part of an anarcho-communist collecitbve -- better desrcibed as Libertairan Leftists a la the CNT in Spain that Orwell wrote about. He was skedded to give a big speech to students at UCLA. I was nudged to go by the Godmother of the So Cal left, ex CPer Dororthy Healey. She had moved away from her Stalinism, quite party over the Czech invasion, and was some sort of undefined social democrat. Didnt agree with her much but I liked her a lot. Anyway, I cannot remeber anything about yhr dprrch other than the vague centering of the working class class as the reliable agents of social change. The ONE THING I remember very clearly, that was 1969-70,. here was a "socialist" talking to directly to students and he made NO reference to Vietnzm --- which was kinda shockiing. I remeber Dorothy, elated, asking me what I thought of the speech and I remember saying he was way off target for his audience. I llike you ying/yang of slow motion reformisn vs insurrectionism. The big question most of the Old New Left can stilll not honestly anwer, I also theorize that because the New Lwft was born in the heat of Vietnam and a jstifiable Anti-Americanism, it still cazanot prioritize rationally what our goals are. Of course I am horrified by the mass murder in Gaza. But I do not understand how once again erecting tens on an Ivy League campus does anything to build solidarity with Palestine let alone contribute to a mass anti authoritarian domestic movement, Guee I am staring to scold like MH. LOL

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geraldmcgrew's avatar

I should've gone too (disability issues).

How about working with whomever necessary in the near term to defeat neofascism while simultaneously building the long term movement for the type of socialist system/economic planning described by Pat Devine and temporarily working to institute green social democracy until we get there, as advocated in David Kotz's current book?

(or something like that)

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