[Marxism] Do words matter? [was Re: Hedges: The American EmpireIs Bankrupt]

[S. Artesian]

That's certainly helpful, but moral quantities, qualities are not at stake 
here.

Advanced capitalism is advanced on the basis of the extent, and domination 
of its capitalist social relations; on the strength of its ability to 
accumulate capital, and reproduce the accumulation of capital throughout all 
areas of the economy-- industry, transport, agriculture.

As for the statement about Laos being better off under French colonialism... 
sure, the "what if" category is a wonderful diversion at cocktail parties--  
having nothing to do of course with actual history.

Several years ago,  some op-ed political economist at the Wall Street 
Journal, opining on the collapse of the USSR wrote that, based on the growth 
rate of the USSR after 1917, and the overall growth rate of Western 
capitalist economies, there was no reason for the October Revolution to 
occur-- that if Kerensky has stayed in power, Russia would have experienced 
the same growth with, of course, "less bloodshed, greater freedom."  Sure--  
as if Kerensky COULD have stayed in power...  The category of necessity 
disappears, as is to  be expected at cocktail parties after the 3rd martini.

In response we should tell our dabblers in speculative morality, "Sure, and 
if a frog had wings he wouldn't bump his ass on the ground."

Contact me offlist for the more vulgar version of the above.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jon Cloke" <copito61 at googlemail.com>
To: <sartesian at earthlink.net>
Sent: Thursday, June 18, 2009 2:07 PM
Subject: Re: [Marxism] Do words matter? [was Re: Hedges: The American 
EmpireIs Bankrupt]