Dumb and Dumber? (aka, Marxism and Anarchism)

Bakunin (L) and Marx

I have been reading a recent debate between an Anarchist and a Marxist and it strikes me as amazing that two people with such opposing views both manage to miss the point. Communism is NOT the aim of mankind — it is an entirely insignificant transit point; how both debaters manage to forget this is staggering. Of course, both spent an enormous amount of time rehashing the 19th Century. (Yes. They cleared up that dispute — NOT.)

Proudhon, Bakunin, Marx and Lenin likely never had as many differences in real life as these two had quoting them. I am sure Proudhon was never as confused about what Marx believed as these two were about what either believed. Why frigging debate if you can’t even agree on basic facts? Does it make sense to debate what fact are facts?

Okay, we have the Paris Commune — Proudhonists ran it, Marx thought it was the bees knees — how the heck can you argue over it? The whole life of the Commune was about 60 days; but Marxists and Anarchists have spent the next 140 years arguing about it. Really people? 140 year argument over a two month failed experiment? Yes, the French take their politics seriously, but this is ridiculous. I took a PoliSci-101 course that lasted longer than the Commune. This really isn’t about differences over the Paris Commune, this is a bunch of dominant male types who each want the other to submit. This is all about who gets to fuck whom in the ass — and who has to bend over.. Admit it. The Paris Commune has nothing to do with this. Marxists and Anarchists get in a room, and immediately they have to unzip their flys and compare wee-wees.

There ain’t a dime’s worth of difference between Marxists, Anarchists and Libertarians. They are all marginal and insignificant. They make up for their complete insignificance by proving how pure they are, and how corrupt or stupid the other two are.

While each are trying to prove how more against the State they are than the next guy working people are voting for GOP or Democrat fascists. CLUELESS! The last thing a worker wants in this country is for you to take her Fascist State away. The Fascist State can abuse her, humiliate her, spy on her, and send her child home in a body bag; but as long as the check is in the mail, she’s all good.

The failure to understand how important it is to the worker that the Fascist State continue at all costs is the what is killing communism. We keep operating on the assumption that the workers have to be dragged kicking and screaming into the voting booth. It ain’t so. The proletariat is as much a political class as the bourgeoisie — and this implies each fights for control of the State.

Anarchist don’t want to recognize this fact; so they reject politics. Marxist cannot see the implications of this fact; so they embrace it. We have to recognize both the fact and its implication — if we want to move forward. The proletariat will be the last defender of the Fascist State. Ask a 99er, if you do not believe me, they are crying for help. Ask a home owner under water. Ask a public employee. Our people are being crushed by Capital, and are looking to Washington to save them! The irony of that shit is stunning: the Fascist State exists only to make it possible for the worker to be crushed. And, this is not something that can be argued away — you cannot convince the unemployed that Washington cannot help them.

Just try it sometime and prove it for yourself.

Anarchists have to learn you cannot build a non-exploitative society from below or as a series of small communities, syndicates, etc. Not in present society, where raw materials come from Africa, components come from Asia, and finished products roll off the line in Germany, to be sold in Altlanta. There is a single global instrument of production and it is global. You will not convince the vast majority of the society to go back to the pre-industrial age. Marxists have to explicitly recognize the implication of political action: it is antithetical to human development and voluntary association.

How you thread the needle on this is beyond me. Political action is both necessary and the opposite of what we are trying to accomplish. But, if you are not willing to even face the question, how do you ever find the answer to it?

Marx’s bottom line, worst case scenario was total global economic meltdown all at once and simultaneously in every nation. The mass of proletarians, facing an extinction level event, would figure it out. He spells this out in the German Ideology in 1846. He really doesn’t pull any punches on his argument. It is bleak and terrifying. Essentially, he says: “You will figure it out, or you will die — in any case that is where capitalism is headed.”

Everything he speaks about after this is just trying to avoid the worst case scenario — how to avoid it by political action. Perhaps, “avoid” is the wrong word — “anticipate” the outcome through political action of the proletariat. His differences with the Anarchists simply revolves around this, but, for us, it is of no significance whatsoever. If the railroads where still the cutting edge of technology, there might be a basis for argument between Anarchist and Marxist.

“MIGHT”

I say “might”, because in action there was no difference — as shown by the Commune, when reality takes over bullshit ends. But, the railroads are not cutting edge technology, and 70 percent of the population do not live on farms anymore. We are no longer in Kansas.

The conquest of political power by the proletariat is NOT on the agenda — in almost every nation, the proletariat is now the largest class. Political power is held entirely by this class, through the Fascist State — a state founded on wage slavery, but, ruled by the slaves as slaves, and for the perfection of their enslavement.

To my mind the question is “How does political action lead to the abolition of political action, i.e., abolition of the State.” And, I am serious about this: gone are the courts, democracy, the minimum wage, OSHA standards, the Marines, Social Security, the whole nine yards — everything must go.

Try to explain that to the average workers and be prepared to be called a lunatic — it doesn’t even figure in politics. You might as well argue for the mandatory conversion of Southern Baptists to Islam. Tell the average worker that money is completely unnecessary in present day society and watch the smoke rise off her head.

“Well, how would we eat?” She’ll ask, as if she eats money.

The articles I wrote were thought pieces — what does anti-politics look like? How do you use the State to abolish itself? How do you use political action to put an end to politics?

The libertarians are correct that you have to run against the Fascist State. But they are silly to think you can start with the minimum wage. What nonsense — this works for no one but a tiny handful of wealthy owners of capital. If you want to run against the Fascist State set Social Security in opposition to the vast military empire of the Fascist State. Which do you think people will choose? Set Medicare against debt service.

You have to prove getting rid of the Fascist State ends poverty and unemployment — not makes the misery of the population greater. Libertarians are also giving a Stateless society a really bad name. People are confusing it with untrammeled rule of Capital, not the abolition of wage slavery. If that is how you want your message to be understood, fine. But, don’t be surprised when you are frustrated.

Try going to the black community saying: “We want to get rid of public schools first, then dismantle the empire that’s starving you?” Black people are all about public education — teaching a slave to read was once illegal, folks. I can’t imagine why Libertarians want to make it easy for Democrats to tighten a hold on black people, unless they hope to appeal to the racist reaction among whites.

So, I have a question: Do Libertarians have a “Southern Strategy” too?

I got this message while writing this post:

ASAJ1874: ReThePeople the people need to boycott the voting booth and instead help the system collapse under it’s own bloated weight.

My response was succinct:

@ASAJ1874 When you get that to work, let me know.

Come on people, wake up!