Thesis: The right-left dichotomy is false because only the right exists.

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blindpig
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Thesis: The right-left dichotomy is false because only the right exists.

Post by blindpig » Tue Jul 25, 2017 4:16 pm

A short bit from Στενή Αυτοάμυνα‏ @Obscureobjet that makes a good point

Thesis: The right-left dichotomy is false because only the right exists.
Explication: as right and left are categories inherited from the

French Revolution, and as this revolution is utterly irrelevant to monopoly capitalist society, their survival in that society presupposes

a regrounding on categories of relevance to its structure and issues. The right found this regrounding: it's called fascism. The left,

on the contrary, has been invested in a long term struggle to unground itself from communism. Therefore it is a category with no reverent.

Empirical demonstration: in 2010, the right wing of SYRIZA split from the party into DIMAR. However, this demonstrably didn't leave behind

a "left wing". Today, many former SYRIZA members denounce SYRIZA as right wing, but there's absolutely no reason why Varoufakis or Lafazanis

are more "left" than Tsipras. In short, once you remove the right from the "left" you find out that you got the right and the right.

Only within a genuinely communist movement can right, centre and left have meaning as categories. Outside it, they are utterly meaningless.

The above applies to societies fully subsumed within the structures of monopoly capital and should not be generalized globally.

The Latin American left, for example, has nothing to do with the farce that calls itself the left in Europe.
"There is great chaos under heaven; the situation is excellent."

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Dhalgren
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Re: Thesis: The right-left dichotomy is false because only the right exists.

Post by Dhalgren » Wed Jul 26, 2017 2:27 pm

This is a good piece and he is dead-on. The only question I have is with the last sentence:
"The Latin American left, for example, has nothing to do with the farce that calls itself the left in Europe."
How is the Latin American left - where no communism exists, unless he means Cuba - different?
" If it were necessary to give the briefest possible definition of imperialism we should have to say that imperialism is the monopoly stage of capitalism." Lenin, 1916

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kidoftheblackhole
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Re: Thesis: The right-left dichotomy is false because only the right exists.

Post by kidoftheblackhole » Wed Jul 26, 2017 6:58 pm

The big two differences on the surface are going to be a much stiffer posture towards Imperialism and far less inclination towards collaboration or opportunism (if only because its not really an option). Part of which is merely because there is no credible way to cast those trends as "left" in Latin America unlike in US/Europe where the blinders are very real.

Dig a little deeper though and the question eventually pares down to: tear it down, yea or nay?

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Dhalgren
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Re: Thesis: The right-left dichotomy is false because only the right exists.

Post by Dhalgren » Wed Jul 26, 2017 10:58 pm

"Dig a little deeper though and the question eventually pares down to: tear it down, yea or nay?"

True. Even the "Bolivarians" won't pull the trigger on their own bourgeoisie.
" If it were necessary to give the briefest possible definition of imperialism we should have to say that imperialism is the monopoly stage of capitalism." Lenin, 1916

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Re: Thesis: The right-left dichotomy is false because only the right exists.

Post by kidoftheblackhole » Wed Jul 26, 2017 11:06 pm

True. Even the "Bolivarians" won't pull the trigger on their own bourgeoisie.
The next step..

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