: : I got a copy of Edward Bellamy's 'Looking Backward' Unabridged for just £1.90 (that's $2.00 in the US and $3.00 in Canada), it's a socialist master peace in my view (although the Marxist William Morris wasn't keen on it and wrote 'News from nowhere' in reaction, which did contain a number of legitimate contrasts against Bellamy's vision, such as, the decision making processes and the legitimate role of a socialist executive authority but by and large it's a matter of disagreement rather than irreconcilable clash of ideology) because it addresses inequity etc. in common sense terms without reference to heavy ideological dogmatism which has served to marginalise socialist politics to the extent that it appears like a fringe cult of some variety.: You JUST read Looking Backward?
I've got a hard copy now, I've read extracts on the internet and it is juxtaposed to 'News From Nowhere' in the intro. to the copy of NFN I've got.
: Funny---in this post, you claimed to have ALREADY read it and went so far as to pan it, contemptuously calling it 'the dream of the industrious middle class professional.'
Interesting, do you book mark my posts Barry? Perhaps you should read them aswell.
: Which is accurate.
What?
: Note how the time traveler West gets offered a nice, cozy sinecure as a 'historian.' No menial, physical work for him! None whatsoever! Indeed, this particular 'socialism' has all the staus-quo, educated, white-collar trappings the middle class lives for---and why not? Bellemy's 'socialist' utopia was intended to PACIFY middle class fears of socialism.
Oh definitely, I still think it's very imperfect, however, Bellamy is really pre-socialist nationalist with a variety of state capitalism and definitely pre-libertarian socialist, the lack of attention given to self-management, liberty for working people and direct action is similar to your posts and ideology.
However, the middle classes are not just low ranking members of the ruling class but high ranking members of the working class who have been alienated from leftist politics or social theories by people can give it an aura of terrorism and coercive control to the extent that they rethink capitalism as a version of freedom, which you and I know isnt the case.
: Did the trick for you---eh?
I dont mind you flaming me like this Barry, sure I'm a heretic to your crude nineteenth century politics, my dedication to social and politically leftwing egalitarian and libertarian theory is without doubt when my other posts are considered, why should I care what you think, your tradgic in your veneration of murderous institutionalism.
None.
