Base and Superstructure

Alienation, autonomy, and ideology

Page 46 of 117

faq

FAQ #9: Why don’t you write about the sectarian left?

April 7, 2022 /

In my previous FAQ, I posted about my own ideology. One might ask next why I don’t use this blog as a platform for detailed ideological debate.

First, I have to admit this post is a bit of a cheat. I’ve already written a post about the sectarian left. Specifically, I wrote about why I don’t discuss it. Nevertheless, I still get this question quite a bit. And so, I’m adding it to the blog’s FAQ section.

In short, I don’t write about the sectarian left because I don’t find it all that interesting. Sometimes sectarians discuss some nice bit of theory or another. And I certainly read plenty of leftist theory.

But sectarians often bicker with one another. They discuss arcane bits of century-old theory on very literal terms without trying to update it for the 21st century. And, perhaps most importantly, they often do little in the way of actual activism or organizing. Sectarians simply haven’t done much. And the risks and headaches of entering into sectarian debate far outweigh the rewards.

At least they do for me. And it’s my blog. So I’m going to continue not discussing the sectarian left until I find a good reason to change my mind.

iowa city activism

Iowa City Activism: The Good and Bad

April 4, 2022 /

I moved to Iowa City in 2007, and I got involved in Iowa City activist communities almost right away. That means I’ve had almost 15 years to see the good and the bad. I also find myself much closer to 40 years old than to 30. It’s left me in a position where I want to reflect on some of those experiences.

I wrote some time ago about Iowa City politics. And even there, I made a few remarks on local non-electoral activism. But I’d like to revisit that and say more.

I won’t review everything, and I’m not going to dig too deeply into details. At least not in this post. And I want to focus more on general lessons than on specific orgs. In short, I’m going to look at the big picture. What works well and what doesn’t? What strengths and weaknesses stand out in Iowa City activist communities?

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acab

‘ACAB’ as a Slogan

March 28, 2022 /

The slogan ‘ACAB’ (All Cops are Bastards) has been around a long time. It’s at least 100 years old, and was once used by gangsters and mobsters. More recently, anarchists and punks took it up. And yet more recently, ‘ACAB’ found a home among certain leftists and progressives.

I think it has its uses. But I have to admit, I find ‘ACAB’ as misleading as helpful.

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bullshit committees

Corporate Politics 101: No Bullshit Committees

March 24, 2022 /

So, lots of workplaces create committees. They create them for all sorts of things. Anyone who works as university faculty knows this all too well. But lots of other companies do it, too. Especially large ones.

On the face of it, there’s nothing wrong with committee work. Let’s say you’re in a workplace that’s relatively democratic. And one that lacks a suffocating corporate structure. In those cases, it even has its uses. You can work with colleagues fairly and equally to get things done.

But that’s not how it works most of the time. Committees are a great way for a company to save face on some issue. Especially if and when the public perceives the company badly on the issue (e.g., racial justice, and so on). At other times, a middle manager really wants to feel important. So, he (it’s not always ‘he,’ but it usually is) organizes a committee.

When you find those latter forces at work, avoid it. No bullshit committee work, folks. It’s a waste of your time. It won’t do anything useful for the world, and it won’t get you anywhere.

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expressivism us politics

Expressivism Dominates US Politics

March 21, 2022 /

In his book Know-It-All Society, Michael P. Lynch claims that intellectual arrogance rules US politics. Along the way, he points out that people share the news not to get at the truth. Or even to engage with ideas. Rather, they share the news an act of expression – a case of what Lynch calls ‘expressivism’ (related to, but somewhat distinct from, ethical expressivism). ‘Expressivism,’ here, means they post news stories on Facebook and Twitter to say something about themselves rather than about the world.

I think Lynch makes a good point. And I want to extend that point a bit. I think the term ‘expressivism’ provides us with a useful way to look at how people talk about COVID policy and even the politics they want to see.

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