Never mind, I got emailed with some really good stuff. Thanks, anyway...

but there's at least a 50% chance the answer was "yes, they're really like that"

;)

I now have a fairly long list of their problemS...

:hahaha:

Can you post it so others can read it? Thanks.

"Trotskyists like to downplay the schism with Lenin and play up the conflict with Stalin, but the split occurred between Lenin and Trotsky first and foremost."

"Trotskyists have a certain 'magical thinking' element to their revolutionary ideology. The concept of simultaneous, worldwide revolution or contiguous revolutionary movements, as an amelioration, is patently unexplainable in materialist terms. This goes back to more of an anti-Stalin position rather than to a more orthodox reading of Marx."

"They eschew 'pragmatism' as 'reactionary' or at least 'counter-revolutionary'; they do this, of course, without having to answer to the situation that the 'pragmatism' addressed."

"It is going too far to call Trotsky an elitist; his problem with the peasantry was systemic, not hierarchical. Yet, the end result is the essential rejection of the worth of the peasantry as revolutionary actors."

"Trotskyists, after all is said and done, simply set themselves up as reactionaries against Stalin and Soviet Communism, by describing what Soviet Communism was and presenting a socialism in opposition on as many points as possible."

"They are a revolutionary cul-de-sac."



Is there more to be added? Or any disputes? This may be "dated" material... :)

Just based upon looking at their web sites for a while now that does seem to be the case.

So when are they gonna "do something"? (I should talk...)

I cannot help but give consideration to Trotsky's belief that a revolution that is not world wide will fail, the demise of the Soviet Union and mebbe China give credence to this. But then what? All they do is piss and moan.

You can't make revolutions in thin air...

?

She is in her eighties and been retired for a while, but she is up for a little email now and then. That's why I said it might be "dated". When I told her about the board, here, she freaked out a little - said she didn't want to get "into all that again". But she is good for a query or two. She is definitely not Trot friendly, but seemed to have a soft spot for Trotsky, himself, along with tiny dogs and some kind of cards...

ETA: Years ago I audited a course she gave on Totalitarianism. It was great. It dealt mostly with Fascists, Nazis, Falange, Action Francais - that stuff. But we did touch on Stalin and Mao just briefly and enough for her to explain that Communism was not in this category (I loved her for that)...