{"id":2411,"date":"2020-12-15T19:19:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-15T19:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiofree.org\/?p=139710"},"modified":"2020-12-15T19:19:00","modified_gmt":"2020-12-15T19:19:00","slug":"socialism-informs-the-best-of-our-politics-the-case-for-democratic-socialism-in-the-21st-century","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2020\/12\/15\/socialism-informs-the-best-of-our-politics-the-case-for-democratic-socialism-in-the-21st-century\/","title":{"rendered":"Socialism Informs the Best of Our Politics \u2013 The case for democratic socialism in the 21st century."},"content":{"rendered":"
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In this clas\u00adsic arti\u00adcle from the Feb\u00adru\u00adary 24<\/span>\u2009\u2014\u2009March 8<\/span>, 1988<\/span> issue of<\/em> In These Times, Demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic Social\u00adists of Amer\u00adi\u00adca founder Michael Har\u00adring\u00adton explains why the democ\u00adra\u00adti\u00adza\u00adtion of both pow\u00ader and eco\u00adnom\u00adics is crit\u00adi\u00adcal to human lib\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion, the impor\u00adtance of com\u00adbat\u00adting run\u00adaway cor\u00adpo\u00adrate cap\u00adi\u00adtal\u00adism, and why left\u00adists should proud\u00adly claim the man\u00adtle of U.S. socialism. <\/em><\/p>\n

“There is no question now as to whether there will be radical change in the immediate future. It is already under way. The only issue is how it will be carried out.”<\/p>\n

Is social\u00adism rel\u00ade\u00advant to the late 20<\/span>th<\/sup> and 21<\/span>st<\/sup> cen\u00adturies? And if so what does one mean by \u200b\u201c<\/span>social\u00adism\u201d? In any case, why iden\u00adti\u00adfy as a social\u00adist in the Unit\u00aded States where the very word invites mis\u00adun\u00adder\u00adstand\u00ading, at best, and a fran\u00adtic, igno\u00adrant rejec\u00adtion at worst? Final\u00adly, giv\u00aden all of these prob\u00adlems why build a social\u00adist orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion in this country? <\/p>\n

First, the social\u00adist cri\u00adtique of pow\u00ader under both cap\u00adi\u00adtal\u00adism and Com\u00admu\u00adnism is not only sub\u00adstan\u00adtial in and of itself; it also makes a sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant con\u00adtri\u00adbu\u00adtion to the cause of incre\u00admen\u00adtal reform as well as to a rad\u00adi\u00adcal restruc\u00adtur\u00ading of society. <\/p>\n

Pow\u00ader, that cri\u00adtique argues, is sys\u00adtemic, North, South, East and West, and repro\u00adduces itself along with its mutu\u00adal\u00adly rein\u00adforc\u00ading social evils. In the var\u00adi\u00adous sys\u00adtems of pow\u00ader in the world today, the con\u00adtrol of invest\u00adment and basic eco\u00adnom\u00adic allo\u00adca\u00adtions is not the only source of dom\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion\u2009\u2014\u2009racism and sex\u00adism per\u00adsist in all sys\u00adtems\u2009\u2014\u2009but it is its sin\u00adgle most impor\u00adtant con\u00adstituent. Those in charge of invest\u00adment, be they cor\u00adpo\u00adrate exec\u00adu\u00adtives or com\u00admis\u00adsars, will claim and get unequal treat\u00adment for them\u00adselves on the grounds that they act in the inter\u00adest of the future of the entire soci\u00adety and must there\u00adfore have the resources to do their job. And those who are exclud\u00aded from that func\u00adtion will be forced to pay all the social costs of deci\u00adsions made on high. <\/p>\n

An under\u00adstand\u00ading of homelessness <\/strong><\/h3>\n

In a super\u00adfi\u00adcial analy\u00adsis, the tremen\u00addous growth of home\u00adless\u00adness in the late 1970<\/span>s and 1980<\/span>s is sim\u00adply a result of the dein\u00adsti\u00adtu\u00adtion\u00adal\u00adiza\u00adtion of men\u00adtal patients in the 1960<\/span>s. But that analy\u00adsis con\u00adtra\u00addicts the data, which increas\u00ading\u00adly shows that the home\u00adless are fam\u00adi\u00adlies and that two thirds of them do not have his\u00adto\u00adries of men\u00adtal and emo\u00adtion\u00adal prob\u00adlems. It also fails to explain why the dein\u00adsti\u00adtu\u00adtion\u00adal\u00adiza\u00adtion of the 1960<\/span>s did not lead to a dra\u00admat\u00adic rise in home\u00adless\u00adness until the late 1970<\/span>s. <\/p>\n

A more seri\u00adous\u2009\u2014\u2009lib\u00ader\u00adal\u2009\u2014\u2009analy\u00adsis would rec\u00adog\u00adnize that this home\u00adless\u00adness is a func\u00adtion of decreased real income and increased pover\u00adty among the wage-earn\u00ading poor and a decline in the sup\u00adply of pri\u00advate and gov\u00adern\u00adment-spon\u00adsored afford\u00adable hous\u00ading. From this point of view, one would quite right\u00adly attack New York May\u00ador Ed Koch for pro\u00advid\u00ading tax incen\u00adtives for the destruc\u00adtion of sin\u00adgle-room-occu\u00adpan\u00adcy hotels (SROs)<\/a>, while at the same time not\u00ading that the SROs them\u00adselves were utter\u00adly inad\u00ade\u00adquate even if they were bet\u00adter than the streets. <\/p>\n

A social\u00adist analy\u00adsis would deep\u00aden those lib\u00ader\u00adal insights. It would see Koch\u2019s action as one more exam\u00adple of the sys\u00adtem at work: of gov\u00adern\u00adment pol\u00adi\u00adcy sub\u00adsi\u00addiz\u00ading pri\u00advate, prof\u00adit-mak\u00ading and often anti-social pri\u00ador\u00adi\u00adties, usu\u00adal\u00adly on the grounds of a \u200b\u201c<\/span>trick\u00adle-down\u201d the\u00ado\u00adry. It would under\u00adstand the decline in the real wage and the increase in the pover\u00adty of work\u00ading peo\u00adple as a stan\u00addard sys\u00adtemic response to the cri\u00adsis of prof\u00aditabil\u00adi\u00adty and pro\u00adduc\u00adtiv\u00adi\u00adty in the mid-1970<\/span>s. And it would stress not sim\u00adply a pro\u00adgram for decent \u200b\u201c<\/span>shel\u00adter,\u201d but the neces\u00adsi\u00adty of democ\u00adra\u00adtiz\u00ading the entire process of invest\u00adment in this, and oth\u00ader, basic needs of life. It would also show that, had the com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty health cen\u00adters pro\u00adject\u00aded in the 1960<\/span>s been built\u2009\u2014\u2009or more broad\u00adly, if Amer\u00adi\u00adca had a nation\u00adal health pro\u00adgram\u2009\u2014\u2009then the prob\u00adlem of the dein\u00adsti\u00adtu\u00adtion\u00adal\u00adized men\u00adtal patients would nev\u00ader have became the out\u00adrage it now is. <\/p>\n

That social\u00adist con\u00adcep\u00adtion of a hous\u00ading pro\u00adgram would not, how\u00adev\u00ader, sim\u00adply spec\u00adi\u00adfy so many \u200b\u201c<\/span>units.\u201d It would urge a planned devel\u00adop\u00adment of racial\u00adly and social\u00adly inte\u00adgrat\u00aded com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adties with pub\u00adlic spaces and facil\u00adi\u00adties for new insti\u00adtu\u00adtions of neigh\u00adbor\u00adhood democ\u00adra\u00adcy and con\u00adtrol. And it would try to reach out to build polit\u00adi\u00adcal sup\u00adport for such an under\u00adtak\u00ading by unit\u00ading the home\u00adless in a coali\u00adtion with young fam\u00adi\u00adlies from the work\u00ading class and mid\u00addle class as well as with seniors who do not want to be seg\u00adre\u00adgat\u00aded on the basis of age. <\/p>\n

Chang\u00ading the dis\u00adtri\u00adb\u00adu\u00adtion of power <\/strong><\/h3>\n

The social\u00adist point is that these var\u00adi\u00adous reforms, which many lib\u00ader\u00adals would sup\u00adport on an ad hoc basis, must be as coher\u00adent as the struc\u00adtures they oppose. What is need\u00aded is not sim\u00adply a new hous\u00ading bill but a new way of mak\u00ading and design\u00ading social invest\u00adments in areas of crit\u00adi\u00adcal need. And even if one has to set\u00adtle polit\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly for some\u00adthing less than that, a pro\u00adpos\u00adal designed on the basis of a social\u00adist analy\u00adsis will be dif\u00adfer\u00adent than one which is the prod\u00aduct of lib\u00ader\u00adal con\u00adcern with a sin\u00adgle issue. For exam\u00adple, Rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtive Ronald Del\u00adlums\u2019 (D\u2011CA) nation\u00adal health bill<\/a> gives peo\u00adple at the base a say in non tech\u00adni\u00adcal med\u00adical deci\u00adsions; it is not just a mat\u00adter of \u200b\u201c<\/span>health insur\u00adance.\u201d And indeed, every social\u00adist pro\u00adgram is about chang\u00ading the dis\u00adtri\u00adb\u00adu\u00adtion of pow\u00ader in the way deci\u00adsions are made. <\/p>\n

The Sovi\u00adet Union and the Third World <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Sim\u00adi\u00adlar\u00adly, a social\u00adist response to what is hap\u00adpen\u00ading under Gor\u00adbachev in the Sovi\u00adet Union would not sim\u00adply stress the impor\u00adtance of pur\u00adsu\u00ading peace nego\u00adti\u00ada\u00adtions even more vig\u00ador\u00adous\u00adly in order to encour\u00adage Glas\u00adnost and Per\u00ade\u00adstroi\u00adka. It would put Gorbachev\u2019s pro\u00adgres\u00adsive, but tech\u00adno\u00adcrat\u00adic, reforms in the con\u00adtext of an analy\u00adsis which would see bureau\u00adcrat\u00adic resis\u00adtance to change in the Sovi\u00adet Union as a func\u00adtion of an anti-demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic sys\u00adtem of pow\u00ader in which even pos\u00adi\u00adtive ini\u00adtia\u00adtives are ini\u00adti\u00adat\u00aded behind the backs of the peo\u00adple. And it would argue that Amer\u00adi\u00adcan uni\u00adlat\u00ader\u00adal peace ini\u00adtia\u00adtives toward ver\u00adi\u00adfi\u00adable Big Pow\u00ader agree\u00adments may well\u2009\u2014\u2009and hope\u00adful\u00adly will\u2009\u2014\u2009cre\u00adate the long run con\u00addi\u00adtions for a democ\u00adra\u00adti\u00adza\u00adtion of Sovi\u00adet soci\u00adety which goes beyond any\u00adthing now on the agen\u00adda in Moscow. <\/p>\n

In the case of the Third World, one can be even more spe\u00adcif\u00adic. The response to the inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal debt cri\u00adsis\u2009\u2014\u2009and the glob\u00adal struc\u00adture of inequal\u00adi\u00adty under\u00adly\u00ading it\u2009\u2014\u2009by the Social\u00adist Inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal, under the lead\u00ader\u00adship of Michael Man\u00adley, for\u00admer Min\u00adis\u00adter of Jamaica<\/a>, and Willy Brandt, for\u00admer Chan\u00adcel\u00adlor of West Ger\u00admany (and, until his death, of Olof Palme, Prime Min\u00adis\u00adter of Swe\u00adden), is a per\u00adfect exam\u00adple of what is need\u00aded. A major trans\u00adfer of funds from North to South<\/a>, the Inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal has shown, could cre\u00adate jobs in the First World as well as the Third. Inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal jus\u00adtice could be an engine of growth for U.S. work\u00aders. It could pro\u00advide an alter\u00adna\u00adtive to chau\u00advin\u00adist atti\u00adtudes, which some\u00adtimes accom\u00adpa\u00adny the jus\u00adti\u00adfied anger of peo\u00adple under advanced cap\u00adi\u00adtal\u00adism with the sys\u00adtemic irre\u00adspon\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty of mul\u00adti-nation\u00adal corporations. <\/p>\n

New depar\u00adtures<\/strong><\/h3>\n

All these neg\u00ada\u00adtives and crit\u00adi\u00adcism are well and good, some\u00adone might say. But isn\u2019t the social\u00adist move\u00adment itself in a pro\u00adfound cri\u00adsis even in those coun\u00adtries where it has a mass base? What about the spec\u00adtac\u00adu\u00adlar fail\u00adure of the French Social\u00adists when they had an absolute par\u00adlia\u00admen\u00adtary major\u00adi\u00adty and con\u00adtrol of the pres\u00adi\u00adden\u00adcy as well? <\/p>\n

There is no doubt that the \u200b\u201c<\/span>Key\u00adne\u00adsian\u201d ver\u00adsion of social democ\u00adra\u00adcy\u2009\u2014\u2009a mixed cor\u00adpo\u00adrate econ\u00ado\u00admy in which social\u00adist gov\u00adern\u00adments extract a sur\u00adplus for wel\u00adfare mea\u00adsures, but leave basic invest\u00adment deci\u00adsions in pri\u00advate hands\u2009\u2014\u2009which dom\u00adi\u00adnat\u00aded the Euro\u00adpean move\u00adment from 1950<\/span> to about 1975<\/span>, is in a pro\u00adfound cri\u00adsis. The French social\u00adists were sub\u00adject\u00aded to the bru\u00adtal dis\u00adci\u00adpline of the world\u2019s banks because their social\u00adly based Key\u00adne\u00adsian pro\u00adgrams gen\u00ader\u00adat\u00aded more jobs in Japan and Ger\u00admany than in France. Even as one search\u00ades for a new response to this real\u00adi\u00adty, it should be not\u00aded that this is one more exam\u00adple of elite cor\u00adpo\u00adrate pow\u00ader\u2009\u2014\u2009in this case exer\u00adcised by multi\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal banks and cor\u00adpo\u00adra\u00adtions. The con\u00adtem\u00adpo\u00adrary chal\u00adlenge to social\u00adism, how\u00adev\u00ader, requires new depar\u00adtures, not fatal\u00adis\u00adtic surrender. <\/p>\n

At the very ori\u00adgins of the mod\u00adern social\u00adist move\u00adment in the 19<\/span>th<\/sup> cen\u00adtu\u00adry, there was a basic insight which will be even truer in the 21<\/span>st<\/sup> cen\u00adtu\u00adry than when it was first for\u00admu\u00adlat\u00aded. Cap\u00adi\u00adtal\u00adism was under\u00adstood as a sys\u00adtem of pri\u00advate social\u00adiza\u00adtion, cre\u00adat\u00ading a gen\u00aduine world mar\u00adket for the first time in human his\u00adto\u00adry, apply\u00ading sci\u00adence to pro\u00adduc\u00adtion, and link\u00ading peo\u00adple togeth\u00ader in an unprece\u00addent\u00aded inter\u00adde\u00adpen\u00addence. But because that social\u00adiza\u00adtion was pri\u00advate, it was pur\u00adsued at the expense of soci\u00adety. Social\u00adism was con\u00adceived of as a pro\u00adgram of demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic social\u00adiza\u00adtion from below, as a move\u00adment to put the peo\u00adple in con\u00adtrol of the eco\u00adnom\u00adic con\u00addi\u00adtions which deter\u00admine so much about their lives. <\/p>\n

That basic goal has been under\u00adstood over the past cen\u00adtu\u00adry and a half in many, many ways, some of them wrong, some lead\u00ading to par\u00adtial vic\u00adto\u00adries, none even begin\u00adning to achieve the full\u00adness of the orig\u00adi\u00adnal vision. And mat\u00adters were com\u00adpli\u00adcat\u00aded when, in the Sovi\u00adet Union, a sys\u00adtem of anti-demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic social\u00adiza\u00adtion emerged. There the par\u00adty-state car\u00adried out the bru\u00adtal process of accu\u00admu\u00adla\u00adtion which was the work of cap\u00adi\u00adtal\u00adism in the West, and used the rhetoric of social\u00adism to ratio\u00adnal\u00adize new forms of class rule. <\/p>\n

Now that the Key\u00adne\u00adsian ver\u00adsion of social\u00adism is in cri\u00adsis, the mass social\u00adist move\u00adments of the world are indeed con\u00adfused and even bewil\u00addered about the next steps toward demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic social\u00adiza\u00adtion. This is rough\u00adly the third time that this has hap\u00adpened: it occurred right after World War I when the social\u00adists sud\u00adden\u00adly got polit\u00adi\u00adcal pow\u00ader and did not know what to do with it, and at the time of the Depres\u00adsion when, with the excep\u00adtions of the Swedes, there was a gen\u00ader\u00adal pro\u00adgram\u00admat\u00adic and polit\u00adi\u00adcal fail\u00adure of the movement. <\/p>\n

At the same time, the objec\u00adtive need for social\u00adism has become all the more imper\u00ada\u00adtive. The mul\u00adti-nation\u00adal\u00adiza\u00adtion of the world econ\u00ado\u00admy is cre\u00adat\u00ading an increas\u00ading\u00adly inter\u00adde\u00adpen\u00addent globe, strik\u00ading at the work\u00aders and com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adties of advanced cap\u00adi\u00adtal\u00adism as well as at the poor coun\u00adtries. Rev\u00ado\u00adlu\u00adtion\u00adary new tech\u00adnolo\u00adgies are under\u00admin\u00ading even the lim\u00adit\u00aded accom\u00adplish\u00adments of cap\u00adi\u00adtal\u00adist wel\u00adfare states. <\/p>\n

The need for inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic socialization <\/strong><\/h3>\n

There is no ques\u00adtion now as to whether there will be rad\u00adi\u00adcal change in the imme\u00addi\u00adate future. It is already under way. The only issue is how it will be car\u00adried out. Will it come from on high, at the social and eco\u00adnom\u00adic cost of the mass of peo\u00adple in every soci\u00adety and through a repres\u00adsion of free\u00addom? Or can social\u00adists, faced with a real\u00adi\u00adty they nev\u00ader imag\u00adined, work out effec\u00adtive pro\u00adgrams of struc\u00adtur\u00adal change which move in the direc\u00adtion of a tru\u00adly demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic social\u00adiza\u00adtion of the world? <\/p>\n

There is now \u200b\u201c<\/span>too much\u201d food in the world\u2009\u2014\u2009and peo\u00adple starv\u00ading to death; \u200b\u201c<\/span>too much\u201d steel capac\u00adi\u00adty and mass\u00ades des\u00adper\u00adate\u00adly in need of hous\u00ading and tran\u00adsit which use steel. And there will be, with\u00adin the next year or two, a cri\u00adsis of the world econ\u00ado\u00admy which will not auto\u00admat\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly engen\u00adder a pro\u00adgres\u00adsive response, but which will make such a polit\u00adi\u00adcal response pos\u00adsi\u00adble. At that point, some of those who now assume that the deter\u00admi\u00adnants of Reagan\u2019s Amer\u00adi\u00adca (and Thatcher\u2019s Britain, Kohl\u2019s Ger\u00admany, Chirac\u2019s France, to cite but a few of the obvi\u00adous cas\u00ades) are eter\u00adnal will look around for a social\u00adist move\u00adment with pos\u00adi\u00adtive answers. These can\u00adnot be pre\u00addict\u00aded now, but it is clear that they will be dis\u00adtinct\u00adly inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal\u00adist, antiracist, fem\u00adi\u00adnist and \u200b\u201c<\/span>green\u201d as well as ori\u00adent\u00aded to the work\u00ading class, both old and new. <\/p>\n

Why a social\u00adist organization? <\/strong><\/h3>\n

But why not just insist on the social\u00adist specifics and omit any men\u00adtion of the social\u00adist name itself? Why not, as Tom Hay\u00adden\u2019s<\/a> orig\u00adi\u00adnal Cam\u00adpaign for Eco\u00adnom\u00adic Democ\u00adra\u00adcy of the 1970<\/span>s pro\u00adposed, social\u00adism with\u00adout the \u200b\u201c<\/span>S word\u201d? <\/p>\n

It is not just that the right wing will not let you get away with it, although that is true (they rou\u00adtine\u00adly denounce lib\u00ader\u00adal\u00adism as social\u00adist). It is not even pri\u00admar\u00adi\u00adly because the his\u00adtoric func\u00adtion of Amer\u00adi\u00adcan anti-social\u00adism is to fight lib\u00ader\u00adal reforms, not a non-exis\u00adtent social\u00adist threat, and that an attack on that anti-social\u00adism will broad\u00aden the polit\u00adi\u00adcal spec\u00adtrum in a coun\u00adtry which has a right and a cen\u00adter but no real left. Even more impor\u00adtant, if one pre\u00adtends that one is not a social\u00adist, or speaks in euphemisms, all that is lost is the basic clar\u00adi\u00adty of analy\u00adsis and pro\u00adgram. You can\u00adnot talk, or think, about the present cri\u00adsis with\u00adout under\u00adstand\u00ading its roots in the sys\u00adtemic com\u00adplex of cor\u00adpo\u00adrate cap\u00adi\u00adtal\u00adist pow\u00ader. We can try to com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adcate that fact in the most effec\u00adtive pos\u00adsi\u00adble rhetoric\u2009\u2014\u2009and many social\u00adists do wrong\u00adly think that it is \u200b\u201c<\/span>rad\u00adi\u00adcal\u201d to talk in such a way as to infu\u00adri\u00adate the aver\u00adage Amer\u00adi\u00adcan\u2009\u2014\u2009but we can\u00adnot con\u00adceal the basic real\u00adi\u00adty from oth\u00aders and, above all, from ourselves. <\/p>\n

Sec\u00adond\u00adly, social\u00adists have had a sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant impact upon pow\u00ader in Amer\u00adi\u00adca even if, for com\u00adplex his\u00adtoric rea\u00adsons, they have nev\u00ader come close to achiev\u00ading pow\u00ader. The role of the 1912<\/span> Deb\u00adsian<\/a> imme\u00addi\u00adate pro\u00adgram in intro\u00adduc\u00ading the con\u00adcepts of the wel\u00adfare state of the New Deal is well known (though it is often not rec\u00adog\u00adnized that the 1912<\/span> pro\u00adgram is still to the left of what has been achieved). So is the crit\u00adi\u00adcal impor\u00adtance of social\u00adists, Com\u00admu\u00adnists, Trot\u00adsky\u00adists and anar\u00adchists in strug\u00adgling for the the\u00ado\u00adry and prac\u00adtice of indus\u00adtri\u00adal union\u00adism, which led to the Con\u00adgress of Indus\u00adtri\u00adal Orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtions. More recent\u00adly, David Gar\u00adrow has doc\u00adu\u00adment\u00aded how Mar\u00adtin Luther King, Jr. saw him\u00adself a part of that social\u00adist tra\u00addi\u00adtion<\/a> (a fact that I knew from my own work with Dr. King). And the fem\u00adi\u00adnist, anti-inter\u00adven\u00adtion\u00adist and Cit\u00adi\u00adzens\u2019 Action move\u00adments clear\u00adly built upon the rad\u00adi\u00adcal tra\u00addi\u00adtion of the 1960<\/span>s. <\/p>\n

I also think of the gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion of econ\u00ado\u00admists now in their late thir\u00adties and ear\u00adly for\u00adties, the men and women who will pro\u00advide many of the prac\u00adti\u00adcal ideas of the next mass left. Every one of them comes out of the New Left and the social\u00adist tra\u00addi\u00adtion. How\u00adev\u00ader they now define them\u00adselves, they are a part of that ongo\u00ading social\u00adist con\u00adtri\u00adbu\u00adtion to prac\u00adti\u00adcal politics. <\/p>\n

But why, then, a social\u00adist orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion? Why the back\u00adbreak\u00ading, frus\u00adtrat\u00ading work of build\u00ading DSA<\/a> against the tremen\u00addous odds of cor\u00adpo\u00adrate Amer\u00adi\u00adca? Sim\u00adply put, because there is no indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adal\u00adis\u00adtic way of show\u00ading peo\u00adple that demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic and com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan action is crit\u00adi\u00adcal to the future. More broad\u00adly, the times are already a\u2011changing. The moral and intel\u00adlec\u00adtu\u00adal fatigue which so many vet\u00ader\u00adans of the past twen\u00adty years feel blinds them to the fact that, with\u00adin a year or two or three, there is going to be a new gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion of change in America. <\/p>\n

I remem\u00adber the Eisen\u00adhow\u00ader\u2009\u2014\u2009and Joe McCarthy\u2009\u2014\u20091950<\/span>s. They were worse than any\u00adthing that hap\u00adpened in the Rea\u00adgan 1980<\/span>s. And when the moment of change came\u2009\u2014\u2009none of us who had been wait\u00ading for years for that blessed break under\u00adstood that it actu\u00adal\u00adly hap\u00adpened on a day in Feb\u00adru\u00adary 1960<\/span> when four black stu\u00addents in North Car\u00adoli\u00adna decid\u00aded to have an inte\u00adgrat\u00aded cup of cof\u00adfee<\/a>\u2014a dec\u00adi\u00admat\u00aded left was utter\u00adly inca\u00adpable of ris\u00ading to the enor\u00admous new opportunities. <\/p>\n

I do not think that the 1960<\/span>s would have been total\u00adly dif\u00adfer\u00adent had there been a con\u00adti\u00adnu\u00adity with the rad\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adism of the 1930<\/span>s, 40<\/span>s, and 50<\/span>s\u2009\u2014\u2009had there been the equiv\u00ada\u00adlent of a DSA in Feb\u00adru\u00adary 1960<\/span>. I do think that there would have been a dif\u00adfer\u00adence. Per\u00adhaps peo\u00adple would not have had to spend so much time rein\u00advent\u00ading the wheel, some\u00adtimes bad\u00adly, and maybe the his\u00adto\u00adries of Stu\u00addents for a Demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic Soci\u00adety and the Stu\u00addent Non-Vio\u00adlent Coor\u00addi\u00adnat\u00ading Com\u00admit\u00adtee would have benefited. <\/p>\n

Right now, the dif\u00adfi\u00adcult and labo\u00adri\u00adous work of DSA\u2009\u2014\u2009the strug\u00adgle to make the anti inter\u00adven\u00adtion move\u00adment as broad as pos\u00adsi\u00adble and to involve the unions and the church\u00ades in it; the cam\u00adpaign to make dis\u00adar\u00adma\u00adment the begin\u00adning of the work of inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal eco\u00adnom\u00adic and social jus\u00adtice; the attempt to define the issue of pover\u00adty and racism and sex\u00adism as prob\u00adlems of eco\u00adnom\u00adic and social struc\u00adtures rather than dis\u00adcrete evils; the coali\u00adtion meet\u00adings with activists from the unions, the new social stra\u00adta, the minor\u00adi\u00adty move\u00adments and all the rest\u2009\u2014\u2009is going to make a pro\u00adfound con\u00adtri\u00adbu\u00adtion to the 1990<\/span>s left.<\/p>\n

A new civilization <\/strong><\/h3>\n

We are not going to lead the nation and, thank God, have aban\u00addoned any Mes\u00adsian\u00adic pre\u00adtense of being the anoint\u00aded van\u00adguard of his\u00adto\u00adry. But when the moment comes, when that pil\u00adgrim\u00adage of women and men toward the real\u00adiza\u00adtion of their own human\u00adi\u00adty begins again, as it will, we will be there. DSA itself may well be trans\u00adformed at that moment, its cadres and ener\u00adgy and ideas being absorbed into new orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion\u00adal forms that we can\u00adnot now even imag\u00adine. And yet it will be there. <\/p>\n

Those who lose heart on the very eve of a new gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion of change should remem\u00adber the pro\u00adfound truth Anto\u00adnio Gram\u00adsci artic\u00adu\u00adlat\u00aded from an Ital\u00adian jail cell in a decade that saw the tri\u00adumph of fas\u00adcism\u2009\u2014\u2009and, with an excep\u00adtion or two, the spec\u00adtac\u00adu\u00adlar fail\u00adure of social\u00adism, and the destruc\u00adtion of the Russ\u00adian Rev\u00ado\u00adlu\u00adtion by Stal\u00adin\u00adism. Social\u00adism, Gram\u00adsci said, was not a mat\u00adter of a polit\u00adi\u00adcal vic\u00adto\u00adry on this or that day, or even this or that decade. It was not an eco\u00adnom\u00adic pro\u00adgram, a recipe. It was a \u200b\u201c<\/span>moral and intel\u00adlec\u00adtu\u00adal ref\u00ador\u00adma\u00adtion,\u201d a fight to trans\u00adform the very cul\u00adture and will of those who had, since time immemo\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal, been made sub\u00ador\u00addi\u00adnate, the epochal work of the cre\u00adation of a new civilization. <\/p>\n

We live today in the most rad\u00adi\u00adcal of times; human\u00adi\u00adty is fight\u00ading at this very moment over the con\u00adtent of that new civ\u00adi\u00adliza\u00adtion\u2009\u2014\u2009of a new plan\u00adet, if you will\u2009\u2014\u2009and that strug\u00adgle will go on beyond the life\u00adtime of every one of us. There is no guar\u00adan\u00adtee that the vision of a demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic and com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan social\u00adiza\u00adtion will pre\u00advail over the bureau\u00adcrats and the tech\u00adnocrats who abound in this peri\u00adod. All social\u00adism is\u2009\u2014\u2009\u200b\u201c<\/span>all\u201d\u2009\u2014\u2009is the the\u00ado\u00adry and prac\u00adtice which seeks to empow\u00ader the peo\u00adple of the North, South, East and West to take con\u00adtrol of their des\u00adtiny for the first time. <\/p>\n

Those who join the move\u00adment for the imme\u00addi\u00adate rewards of pow\u00ader are advised to apply else\u00adwhere. Those who are will\u00ading to wager their lives on the pos\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty of free\u00addom and jus\u00adtice and sol\u00adi\u00addar\u00adi\u00adty should pay their dues. <\/p>\n\n

This post was originally published on Radio Free<\/a>. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this clas\u00adsic arti\u00adcle from the Feb\u00adru\u00adary 24\u2009\u2014\u2009March 8, 1988 issue of In These Times, Demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic Social\u00adists of Amer\u00adi\u00adca founder Michael Har\u00adring\u00adton explains why the democ\u00adra\u00adti\u00adza\u00adtion of both\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":266,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2411"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/266"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2411"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2411\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2412,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2411\/revisions\/2412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}