- Capitalism and Alternatives -

Let's settle for a firm handshake

Posted by: Stoller on December 23, 1999 at 18:39:51:

In Reply to: C'mere and give me a hug Barry! posted by David on December 23, 1999 at 10:37:07:


: Essentially, my qualms with majoritarianism is that it gives power to the mob mentality. There are no shortages of the extremes that such a doctrine can be taken to. If it were majority rule in the south and suddenly a predominantly white town decided that they wanted to reinstitute slavery, so long as the majority (whites) wanted it, it would be okay.

: There are many ethical problems associated with majority rule. Namely that people do have the power to vote away the rights of others. That is unacceptable. If one day the majority of Americans decided that they had had enough of those damn liberals handing out pamphlets and passed a series of laws restricting their freedom of speech, you can be sure that I would fight against it in all capacities.

I am more than familiar with that line of reasoning. Back in my utopian days I was so concerned about any minority getting coerced into anything, I advocated straight-up consensus decision-making. Such a 'theoretical arrangement,' needless to, say will not change EXISTING social relations.

Moving on...

I believe that job rotation PREVENTS the possibility of any majority imposing its will upon a minority. After all, if ALL TYPES OF WORK fell upon everyone, then no one would find it in their interests to promote unpleasant work situations for anyone.

Of course, people have different standards. In today's insular, competitive capitalist society, wildly divergent standards exist. That is because work---and skill---is assigned in INEQUITABLE proportions throughout society. Only a COMPLETE UPHEAVAL of social relations can engender different standards---standards of equal opportunity sorely lacking in today's inconpicuous yet empirically demonstrable command economy.

Therefore I do advocate that the MAJORITY of proletarians overthrow capital's social relations.

By necessity, this means that the MINORITY of capitalists (and labor aristocrats) will have to be suppressed. As I have said before, this 'suppression' will involve little more than withholding the means of production from the minority IN THE SAME MANNER that the minority today withholds the means of production from the majority. No work, no food.

Does this 'make it right'? Not to the minority. They WILL miss the privileges previously held. But it does 'make it right' to the majority---who, don't forget, have actually CREATED the privilege FOR the capitalist minority in the FIRST PLACE by dint of their labor.

Once the dust settles, and class distinctions have been effaced, job rotation will assist in creating a social climate in which EVERYONE finds shared interests. Because everyone will be doing (more or less) the same work. And---need I mention this again?---one of those shared jobs will be SELF GOVERNANCE.

You sure as hell can't say we got that now.

P.S. Tell your sister that it DOESN'T MATTER if 'my stats' demonstrate EITHER the cause or the effect of inequality; either cause OR effect demonstrates that inequality exists.


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