[Marxism] sectarian? Re: The Obama Cult

[Mark Lause]

Dayne Goodwin <daynegoodwin at gmail.com> wrote:"If Fred thinks that it
is in the best interests of the working class to have illusions about
Obama ..."

Well, a classic straw argument probably isn't a helpful starting point.

I think that Fred is using sectarian in close to its classic religious
usage.   I tend to see it as a kind of magical thinking.  That notion
that we initiates of New-Thought can change things by ritual
incantations...  And the corollary view that if the ritual
incantations aren't changing things that people are failing to use the
words loudly or often enough or with sufficient feeling.

And you don't have to go back to any particular past group to see the
approach, because everyday on this list we hear the assumption that
somehow list members are holding back the working class by not saying
the right words often enough, loudly enough or with enough feeling.

True, this didn't work in the past but that's no reason not to have
another ritual repetition of the bloody obvious...

....Obama's a bourgeois politician even though he's black...

....Obama's a Clinton Democrat who makes appointees like he's a
Clinton Democrat...

....Obama represents the capitalist class...

The masses need "socialism."  The fact that almost none of them
actually know know what it is is no reason for us not to use it.
After all, if the masses don't actually know what we're talking about,
it isn't our fault, is it?  It doesn't mean we're not doing our jobs.

....Socialism, socialism, socialism.

....And class struggle.

....And socialism.

(Has Jesus...or Tinker Bell...come back to life, yet?  No?  That's
because the entire list isn't saying it...  Let's try it again...)

....Obama's a bourgeois politician even though he's black...

....Obama's a Democrat...

....Obama represents the capitalist class...

....Socialism, socialism, socialism.

....And class struggle.

....And socialism.

Surely that's brought us a little bit closer to its goals, right?  It
hasn't ?  Well, maybe it's because that lurker in the back isn't
saying it with real feeling.  Look we really, really need to do
something about Obama's appointees, so let's try again...

....Obama's a bourgeois politician even though he's black...

....Obama's a Democrat...

....Obama represents the capitalist class...

....Socialism, socialism, socialism.

....And class struggle.

....And socialism.

Well, if that hasn't done it, I've done my duty and said the right prayers....

ML

PS: If we agree that a religious and/or magical faith hasn't worked
and that insistence on a groupthink embrace of such thinking isn't
helpful....then shouldn't we try rethinking it in materialist terms?
That is on what we need to DO in the real world.