[MD] Quality decline

[ian glendinning]

Platt, resorting to the dictionary again, rather that what he actually says ...

You distort the picture (as usual) by ignoring that the passage you
re-quote starts with Marx words "Of course, in the beginning ..."

He is pointing out that there is dirty work to be done, dirty work
that would be despotic by any standards (yes, even Merriam-Webster),
to break down establishment barriers to freedoms, BEFORE freedoms can
be available to all.

There is little doubt that his ideal outcome, his intentions, were on
liberal conditions for the maximum number of people. He was simply
prepared to preach "revolution" to get there - creative destruction.

Personally I'm not prepared to support that line, but it doesn't change
Marx clear liberal intentions. Part of the reason the word "liberal"
is deliberately confused with "left" in US neo-con eyes. As if the
only freedoms that matter are "the free market" and any other
conception of liberal is a dirty word.

Ian

On 7/7/07, pholden at davtv.com <pholden at davtv.com> wrote:
> Quoting ARLO J BENSINGER JR <ajb102 at psu.edu>:
>
> > [Platt]
> > Direct contradiction of Arlo's assertion that Marx "never advocated tyranny"
> > from the "Communist Manifesto." Read and judge for yourself (emphasis added):
> >
> > [Arlo]
> > "BY MEANS OF DESPOTIC INROADS on the rights of property, and on the conditions
> > of bourgeois production; by means of measures, therefore, which appear
> > economically insufficient and untenable, but which, in the course of the
> > movement, outstrip themselves, necessitate further inroads upon the old social
> > order, and are unavoidable as a means of entirely revolutionizing the mode of
> > production."
> >
> > Sure, read this carefully and judge, as Platt suggests. Marx is not promoting
> > the establishment of a tyranny, but expressing the anticipated violent struggle
> > with established capistocratic power.
> >
> > There is no doubt Marx envisioned the communist transition to be one of violent
> > struggle (just as the Monarchy of Britain did not respond kindly to those who
> > thought to rebel against her power over them). As such, freeing and holding the
> > means of the production through the revolution was (Marx believed) going to be
> > both difficult and bloody. The transitional government would need to secure and
> > protect the newly liberated means of production, and as such would need the
> > power and ability to do so.
> >
> > So, yes, read that passage carefully. And for context read the entries for
> > Marxism and Communism on Wikipedia.  Marx does not advocate tyranny, indeed the
> > only targets of the statement above are those Marx saw as the enslavers of men,
> > and the anticipated resistance they would respond with as their power over the
> > masses was threatened. Don't buy into the talk-radio hype, its just bunk. But I
> > bet that won't stop 'em from squalkin'...
>
> Definition of DESPOTIC from Merriam-Webster: " . . .exercising power tyrannically."
> Another Orwellian obfuscation from the self-proclaimed Critical Thinker.
>
>
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