Without preamble, and with obvious lack of organization, I will start with this quotation from Lenin (who else?):


It is precisely the parasitism and decay of capitalism, characteristic of its highest historical stage of development, i.e., imperialism. As this pamphlet shows, capitalism has now singled out a handful (less than one-tenth of the inhabitants of the globe; less than one-fifth at a most “generous” and liberal calculation) of exceptionally rich and powerful states which plunder the whole world simply by “clipping coupons”. Capital exports yield an income of eight to ten thousand million francs per annum, at pre-war prices and according to pre-war bourgeois statistics. Now, of course, they yield much more.

Obviously, out of such enormous superprofits (since they are obtained over and above the profits which capitalists squeeze out of the workers of their “own” country) it is possible to bribe the labour leaders and the upper stratum of the labour aristocracy. And that is just what the capitalists of the “advanced” countries are doing: they are bribing them in a thousand different ways, direct and indirect, overt and covert.

This stratum of workers-turned-bourgeois, or the labour aristocracy, who are quite philistine in their mode of life, in the size of their earnings and in their entire outlook, is the principal prop of the Second International, and in our days, the principal social (not military) prop of the bourgeoisie. For they are the real agents of the bourgeoisie in the working-class movement, the labour lieutenants of the capitalist class, real vehicles of reformism and chauvinism. In the civil war between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie they inevitably, and in no small numbers. take the side of the bourgeoisie, the “Versaillese” against the “Communards”.

Unless the economic roots of this phenomenon are understood and its political and social significance is appreciated, not a step can be taken toward the solution of the practical problem of the communist movement and of the impending social revolution.

https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1916/imp-hsc/pref02.htm

This piece struck me because it clearly describes and explains the current situation with the US working class. It also brings to mind the quotation from one or the other of the US 19th century robber barons who said (paraphrase), 'I don't worry about the working class, I will just hire one half to kill the other half.' Or words to that effect.

Living in the heart of this monstrous machine we have to come to grips with these things and work to turn this over. There is at least some truth to the idea that US and EU working class is culpable for imperialism, even if the huge majority do not recognize it or admit it.

Without preamble, and with obvious lack of organization, I will start with this quotation from Lenin (who else?):



https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1916/imp-hsc/pref02.htm

This piece struck me because it clearly describes and explains the current situation with the US working class. It also brings to mind the quotation from one or the other of the US 19th century robber barons who said (paraphrase), 'I don't worry about the working class, I will just hire one half to kill the other half.' Or words to that effect.

Living in the heart of this monstrous machine we have to come to grips with these things and work to turn this over. There is at least some truth to the idea that US and EU working class is culpable for imperialism, even if the huge majority do not recognize it or admit it.

Ha, have you told anyone that the US is behind ISIS? They look at ya like a horn was growing out of your head. Americans in general will never admit culpability until they learn whose side they're on and only the ruling class can teach them that.

Ha, have you told anyone that the US is behind ISIS? They look at ya like a horn was growing out of your head. Americans in general will never admit culpability until they learn whose side they're on and only the ruling class can teach them that.

You know, this appears to be the very foundation of imperialism. The broad mass of the working class deluded into viewing world events, national events, local events, even personal events, in line with ruling bourgeois viewpoints. Education, media, police force, political apparatuses, church, societal expectations all collude in making it very difficult for class consciousness to become dominant within our own class. And it is true what Two Americas always said, that working class people understand what's what and who's who, and are not deluded by liberal clap-trap. But they are immersed this social/cultural bourgeois straight-jacket. Many working class people are growingly conscious of their class and the struggle taking place - you can see it in Black Lives Matter and the campus protests in the past couple weeks and still ongoing.

I know what you mean about telling folks about ISIS. I know this Catholic lady who was very upset about what she had read about the atrocities committed by ISIS. She was adamant that ISIS had to fought and wiped out. I agreed and suggested she go online and find out where ISIS was getting its funding and weapons. She said she would. I will be talking to her in a day or two (if she doesn't call me up before hand ready to lynch somebody).

You know, this appears to be the very foundation of imperialism. The broad mass of the working class deluded into viewing world events, national events, local events, even personal events, in line with ruling bourgeois viewpoints. Education, media, police force, political apparatuses, church, societal expectations all collude in making it very difficult for class consciousness to become dominant within our own class. And it is true what Two Americas always said, that working class people understand what's what and who's who, and are not deluded by liberal clap-trap. But they are immersed this social/cultural bourgeois straight-jacket. Many working class people are growingly conscious of their class and the struggle taking place - you can see it in Black Lives Matter and the campus protests in the past couple weeks and still ongoing.

Yes, there are rumblings, they seem disjointed but how much of that is due to media handling? Hard to say. BLM is a start, get some ferment going. Obama Effect is fading already. Black folks always in the vanguard of progress, from necessity, but they can't bear the load alone.