November 9, 2003
'OLD EUROPE' GETS MORE ANCIEN:
The Spread of Marxism (Hazem Saghieh, Dar Al-Hayat, 2003/11/7)
The French magazine "Nouvel Observateur" issued a supplement on the "return" of Marxism, with Karl Marx on the cover. The British "Prospect Magazine" and "The Observer" had published many articles on the same subject.What is happening? Is there a ghost named Karl Marx haunting Europe?...
[The new Marxism] concerns Europe and not the U.S. The former wants to clean Marxism from Soviet Totalitarianism. It wants to readopt it as a package of ideas for the safe world of "Venus" with a higher degree of social justice. This approach might help in exerting pressure on Europe's crumbling democratic socialism without repeating some old dogmas about "absolute impoverishment."
However, they are ideas that would make the old continent more different from the new continent. In other words, Marxism today is one of the ways according to which Europe becomes European.
Europe, in its senescence, is living ever more in the past, and establishing its new role as a museum for the failed ideas of history.
Posted by Paul Jaminet at November 9, 2003 5:48 PM
NPR had a story Friday about the Russian Communist party in this year's parlimentary elections. It ended with a young Communist saying something along the lines of Communism being a old Christian idea about a world without money or capitalism.
Not particularly relevant here, but I thought I'd just stick that in.
Posted by: David Cohen at November 9, 2003 6:58 PMWell, OF COURSE it will work now that the phrench are in charge.
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
Posted by: Sandy P. at November 9, 2003 8:24 PMSo what's the surprise? Where do you think the progressive left is coming from ... and going to?
Read any Howard Zinn lately? Check him out at your local College Library. He's required reading at many schools and the only history many of the students "get."
Posted by: Genecis at November 10, 2003 12:07 PM