- Capitalism and Alternatives -

History by itself isn't enough

In Reply to: Ways to make a difference... posted by The Everett Citizen on September 12, 1997 at 23:17:09:

: I think the number one thing that can make a difference is to discuss the bloody rise of capital and the methods used to supress labor from an historical perspective. The mostly disorganized US labor force of today is mostly ignorant about how the 8 hour day arrived, how safety and health standards arrived, and how vigorously big capital is attacking those things now.

While I agree about the importance of background knowledge, I don't think discussion of the history of capitalism alone will get us very far in finding out about the alternatives to it. The labour movement is pragmatic and responds to what is of direct benefit to it. Workers have to see the relevance of issues to them or their community to do something about it. How the 8-hour working day came into being is much less important than how to defend it now that it is here. This is , by the way, why I disagree with Fassbinder. You can not expect the workers to fight for their rights on the basis of abstract and far fetched "lennonian" notions. We need education and a programme of action to understand capitalism and look for alternatives.

Follow Ups:

• Distracting the group mind from fashionable cynicism Samuel Day Fassbinder Pomona Valley Greens USA September 17 1997 (3)
  • Question: How do we build a bridge to Utopia? Siamak UK September 18 1997 (2)
    • Intentional communities link here! Samuel Day Fassbinder Pomona Valley Greens USA September 21 1997 (0)
    • Holding the utopians accountable to their notions Samuel Day Fassbinder Pomona Valley Greens USA September 19 1997 (0)