We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Thursday, January 27, 2022

Posts that I especially recommend for Thursday, January 27, 2022

Only two years ago most people understood “bodily autonomy” to be a fundamental, unquestionable human right. Now it is being treated as some kind of perverse libertarian luxury, as proof that the “deplorables” have been watching too much Tucker Carlson or that they have come to idealise the worst excesses of neoliberalism’s emphasis on the rights of the individual over the social good. 
 
My commentary follows: 
 
I am unconditionally opposed to state mandates because it assumes that the state knows best the medical care for us ordinary people. This is particularly true for societies that, up to this time, are always ruled by self-serving ruling classes, and who, under the present system of capitalism over the course of the past several hundreds of years, substantially own the economy and thus has enormous control our lives via the government and other social institutions. Therefore, I oppose the state issuing any mandates for two principle reasons: First, we in the dominant capitalist countries have been convinced by centuries of propaganda issued by the rich and powerful in order to legitimate their rule, that we live in a democracy. This assumption is absolutely and fundamentally false. Secondly, this assumes that our governmental leaders know what's best for us. If this were true, we would have much better educational institutions and medical care.
 
This fact justifies the socialist platforms that emphasize education based on scientific principles instead of self-serving propaganda issued by the ruling socioeconomic class of capitalists. We would not see the censorship of top-flight medical experts and practitioners that we have seen. Science has been distorted by the self-serving capitalist ruling classes, who are totally focused on profit and the protection and advance of their system which delivers wealth/power to these classes. This ruling class has gained legitimacy because of these advances, but their focus has been distorted by its sole preoccupation with the advancements of capitalists' interests of wealth and power. (Thus, most efforts of science have been directed to the perfection of ever-deadlier weapons.) The latter has been solely concerned with the protection of their system of capitalism (private ownership/control of economic property). Control has been possible by "ownership" which supplies them the means to control of economic property. Thus, the state, as well as all other institutions, has been captured by capitalist ruling classes and is always concerned with the protection and advancement of their system, and crushing all other systems that may arise.
 
The principle means that the ruling class has discovered has been thorough indoctrination and propaganda as a means to protect their capitalist system. Ever since the Russian Revolution of  1917, which was heavily influenced by the writings of Karl Marx, the capitalist ruling classes have worked overtime trying to crush any thoughts along these lines using indoctrination and propaganda to infiltrate the minds of their subjects. Likewise, you probably don't know about the invasions of capitalist nations to crush the Soviet Revolution which was unsuccessful but had the effect of distorting the Russian Revolution with the rise of Stalin and a bureaucratic class. Since then, we have experienced military means of crushing any socialist and communist nations (nations that sought public ownership and control of their economies) that might appear. 
 
Thus, we have experienced the devastating war of WWII as explained by me after reading extensive histories during the 1930's period which led to that war. Since then we have experienced the rise of the US/British/Zionist Empire and numerous wars all over our planet to crush any nation that aspired to an alternative system. These numerous wars were always legitimized using propaganda by the ruling class's media corporations, educational and even entertainment institutions (Hollywood films).
  • Ethiopia, from the Development State to the Neoliberal State by Djibo Sobukwe from Internationalist 360°. (Note: I advise people who have some familiarity with Africa's economic problems to read this. Otherwise, the abbreviations of organizations and abstract nature of its presentation may overwhelm you. Except for this drawback, the article offers a pathway to important insights about the effects of Euro-American neoliberalism on Africa.) The author concludes his analysis as follows:
Although there are definitely some problems and contradictions in the Abiy government, his positive efforts at unifying the population across ethnic lines by way of the Prosperity Party in general and the peace declaration with Eritrea in particular should be celebrated. The primary contradiction at this time is the US backed TPLF aggression that threatens to tear the country apart which could result in its balkanization and must be opposed by all anti-imperialist and Pan Africanists.

As Revolutionary Pan-African internationalist and anti-imperialist we condemn all oppression and exploitation be it based on class, ethnicity/race,  gender or sexual orientation.   We agree with Farid Abdulhamid of the Group for Research and Initiative for the Liberation of Africa when he says …

“The only system that can work for Ethiopia and Africa at large is the establishment of a revolutionary, Pan-African, socialist state that can not only forge national unity and Pan-African identity, but end centuries-old imperialist driven, conflict-prone, socio-economic inequalities.” [24]