Why Aren't Americans Fighting Back?

[Triana]

. . .

"If you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles . . . if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle." These are the words of Sūn Zǐ, a 6th century BCE Chinese general, military strategist, and author of The Art of War, an immensely influential ancient Chinese book on military strategy.

. . .

The capitalist class already knows who they are and what they are fighting for, and they are well aware of who their enemy is. That's why they are presently winning the fights.

. . .

Current Obstacles to Knowledge of Self and the Enemy

1. Lack of class consciousness. This is the single most important obstruction blocking the road to a successful fightback. The terms capitalist class and working class have been completely obliterated by the Orwellian Newspeak of American discourse. Americans are burdened with a peculiar and spurious definition of class. In the post-World War II textbooks and mass media, class has suddenly and curiously become synonymous with income level. When class is confused with income level, political self-identity becomes entirely connected to the selfish accumulation of personal wealth. This is the game played by the ruling rich. Workers cannot play that game and expect to create any kind of class solidarity. As in the case of the Roman plebs and Polish workers, class is what unites the toiling majority and solidarity is our most potent weapon.

2. The bad taste left in the collective mouth by the Stalinist experiment. When the Soviet Union finally collapsed of its own massive internal contradictions in 1989, capitalism had lost its best defensive weapon against socialist revolution. After all, nobody wants to live in a totalitarian police state. It has been a quarter-century since that momentous event and still working people are leery of the socialist goal, not yet realizing the difference between top-down socialism and bottom-up socialism. Totalitarianism has been relentlessly associated with all forms of socialism by the big business press and their educational system, while the democratic aspects of the Cuban revolution remain a big secret - like the elephant in the room that everyone tries to ignore.

THE REST:

http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/17498-why-arent-americans-fighting-back

[ananda]

1. Hmm

It looks to me as though Americans don't have either the solidarity, the energy, or the stamina
to fight back. It takes a lot of people with determination and grit to really stick together and
stick at it.

We have flash in the pan movements and demonstrations but no really solid effort. There is
no energy behind that. It makes me think that humankind has come to the end of its energetic
life and is going to go extinct sooner rather than later.

[Phentex]

4. Occupy has helped but

overall I think you're right. I think people lack the energy due to day to day life.

[HiPointDem]

2. good article.

[Triana]

3. It is good.

Basically, people have to grok a clue and get very organized. As it says "workers have to re-learn how to win fights"

[cali]

5. oh for pity's sake, this author is stuck in the past

I don't think he has a clue

seriously?

"It's easier to simply sit by the fire and munch on a drumstick"

americans aren't fighting back because of the opiates of our culture.

[Populist_Prole]

6. What a thorough and interesting analysis. Reason #1 is the key

Until mosre make themselves comfortable with the term "working class" instead of trying to act like aspiring millionaires, we'll ( collectively ) keep barking up the wrong tree. "Working Class" is a term I use, and others should use proudly. It does NOT mean low-life or the dregs of society.

[Triana]

7. I agree. People need to realize we're NOT all equal. There are classes.

Poor, middle-class (quickly shrinking into poor) and the owner/wealthy robber-baron class.

Too many Teabillies think they're going to get into the owner / wealthy class. They're NOT. In most cases, that does not and cannot happen. Owner class sees to that.

What people CAN DO is fight to obtain and maintain a decent (not extravagant - just decent) middle-class life. But few are doing that because they either don't know or refuse to admit these facts about class in the U.S. and they think they're gonna be the next Koch Brother. Well - they're not. They need to get off their high horse and dispose of the idiot fantasy and fight with the rest of us - so we can ALL have better lives.

[KoKo]

8. +1...Interesting. Many of us DID Fight Back...but we were way ahead, apparently.

I have looked for the "tipping point."

The article does give some insight. Thanks!