I’ve been seeing a bad line of thinking in leftist spaces and in myself and I feel the need to call it out.
The western left’s demonization of the class unconscious proletariat is a symptom of idealism that seems sadly acceptable in leftist social media spaces. Class consciousness is not an achievement to be proud of, you didn’t do it, it happened to you.
Labor aristocracy is not a “sin” of the western working class it is a weapon of the bourgeoisie. Unique material conditions are what lead each of us to class consciousness not some sort of moral/intellectual/educational supremacy. The limited class consciousness in the west’s working class is not an inherit flaw in the masses but a failure of the class conscious to conduct effective agitation. (the word “failure” is not a condemnation but recognition that we have been unable to succeed against the overwhelming power of the imperialist bourgeoisie.)
This extends to demonization of the troops. Yes members of the western armed forces actively benefit from imperialism and do horrific things supporting imperialism but they do this out of a response to their material conditions not because they are evil. That is not to say they are absolved of their crimes. It means many of them could be redeemable.
We have all had liberal and imperialist ideas that we now recognize are wrong. We must be willing to accept those who admit the faults of their past who are willing to fight for a better future. Anyone refusing to forgive comrades who admit to a flawed past is being dishonest about their own flaws. They are engaging in ideological moral supremacy. It is not a dialectical materialists position to refuse something changing into its opposite.
Again this is not a call to absolve the complicit but instead a call to remind us that we have all been complicit in some way and we are the proletariat not above them.
You saw the word “troops” and lost the entire plot. The post is not about reaching out and making friends with reactionaries or trying to make cops or troops into comrades. The post is about Moral Supremacy. I mentioned troops because the topic is a lightning rod for moral supremacists. (and it worked!)
Demonizing is the act of labeling a person or thing as supernatural evil. Evil is not a materialist concept. Demonization is inherently reactionary. A demonized thing is irredeemable and inhuman. This is something that can only be done if you have an idealist or spiritualist mindset.
Demonizing comrades because of their past as enforcers of capitalism is not the behavior of a comrade. A comrade who was a goon for capitalism (a cop or a soldier same thing) is still a comrade. Their actions before gaining class consciousness do not define a comrade. What we do to oppose capitalism and imperialism is what defines us as comrades.
Does that mean I expect troops or cops to become comrades? no. The people with the most reactionary thinking are inherently attracted to join the police and military. If it was up to me all they would all get a one way ticket on Tito’s Coal Mine Tour. Should we focus our agitation on them? fuck no. You get better results agitating laborers.
But if one should choose to change sides? They shouldn’t have to hide who they used to be because of an idealist mindset that refuses to believe that people can change. They may have useful information and skills that you can only get by being in their position and we will not get that out of them if they are hiding.
Should we trust them? no but we shouldn’t trust anyone. Every new comrade is a potential wrecker or fed. Every new comrade has brain worms that need to be killed and extracted. We should be pushing and testing our comrades all the time to be sure nobody is harboring bigotry, liberalism, idealism, or supremacy.
And that includes Moral Supremacy like “the ex-soldier who teaches commies to shoot guns build tunnels and avoid being seen by drones did bad things. so even though all I do is read theory and post on the internet, I’m a better communist.”
Sounds more like you got no real argument and are now trying to pretend it was some clever plan to get the “woke moralists” to reveal themselves or whatever.
Actually, it’s really strange to make up this guy and pretend everyone else is wrong for reading what you wrote lucidly. Most of these guys aren’t going to do that, they’re going to end up some Graham Platner type who only supports the “good wars” while wanting a bigger slice of the pie. Really bizarre choice of hill to die on.
Oh fuck! sorry. I must have mistaken you for someone else. HEY EVERYBODY! HES HERE. The one true leftist! The holy reincarnation of Marx who has never done anything to assist capitalism. He will lead us to communism by telling us who is evil and beyond redemption and who is good and worthy of our efforts.
All of this applies to you.