Learn how it is done! Shout the critics.
This is why, sovereignly ashamed and grateful, the FARC-EP must send the Peace Talks and the signed agreements to hell, and instead make a call for the general uprising of the population, while we return to combat, completely ready to fulfill once and for all our strategic plan. People in Colombia are ready to take the streets, block roads and cities, to storm the local power for the revolutionary triumph.
And if by misfortune or because of the work of some whim we were to be defeated in the attempt, we would have perished heroically, on the battlefield, turned into the heroes of future generations, and therefore inspiring the final triumph, which will inevitably occur as a result of the teachings left by our sacrifice for those who will excitedly pick up our banners.
That would be a genuine revolutionary behaviour, the irrefutable proof of our loyalness to the guidelines, with our blood reaffirming its absolute correctness and validity. Those who now criticize us would be the first to go out and proclaim this in their weblogs, they would be in charge of raising monuments in our memory, they would stand firm and livid when they hold the one-minute silence in our honor before starting their meetings.
With all the respect that these critics may deserve, we have to say that they are deeply mistaken. Revolution, like any other human activity linked to the dispute over State power, is fundamentally and foremost a political situation. And politics consists of earning the support of others towards a political purpose. A victorious politician is the one who has an overwhelming number of followers.
Therefore, a revolution will only be victorious when the masses are not simply on the abstract mindset of dreamers, but rather in the reality of the political struggle. We can say anything we like about the hated imperialism and the evil bourgeoisie, but as long as they have the concurrence of a majority who, for whatever reason, prefers to sit in their shadow instead of fighting them, then no matter how strong rebels shout or how noisy their firearms are, the dominating classes will be impossible to beat.
Moreover, only a fanatic could deny the fact that they have huge military and repressive apparatuses that they never hesitate to use, they hold the reins of formal education and are owners of the mass media dedicated to shaping people's opinions. And as if that were not enough, they are the owners of scientific and technological knowledge, and by virtue of the above they are able to impose a cultural hegemony that traps and shapes consciences.
We consider that we surpassed the old debate about the Marxist dogma. For all of us, it is clear that as a valuable source of economic and social knowledge, its invaluable dialectic heritage imposes consider it as a guide and not as a series of commandments. Abraham Lincoln liked to repeat that a compass shows us where the north is and the direction we want to take, but it doesn't show us the abyss, deserts, or the mud of the road.
marlax78 posted:relevant to jason unruhe claiming "the colombian revolution is dead" when the peace negotiations were first announced:
Learn how it is done! Shout the critics.
This is why, sovereignly ashamed and grateful, the FARC-EP must send the Peace Talks and the signed agreements to hell, and instead make a call for the general uprising of the population, while we return to combat, completely ready to fulfill once and for all our strategic plan. People in Colombia are ready to take the streets, block roads and cities, to storm the local power for the revolutionary triumph.
And if by misfortune or because of the work of some whim we were to be defeated in the attempt, we would have perished heroically, on the battlefield, turned into the heroes of future generations, and therefore inspiring the final triumph, which will inevitably occur as a result of the teachings left by our sacrifice for those who will excitedly pick up our banners.
That would be a genuine revolutionary behaviour, the irrefutable proof of our loyalness to the guidelines, with our blood reaffirming its absolute correctness and validity. Those who now criticize us would be the first to go out and proclaim this in their weblogs, they would be in charge of raising monuments in our memory, they would stand firm and livid when they hold the one-minute silence in our honor before starting their meetings.
With all the respect that these critics may deserve, we have to say that they are deeply mistaken. Revolution, like any other human activity linked to the dispute over State power, is fundamentally and foremost a political situation. And politics consists of earning the support of others towards a political purpose. A victorious politician is the one who has an overwhelming number of followers.
Therefore, a revolution will only be victorious when the masses are not simply on the abstract mindset of dreamers, but rather in the reality of the political struggle. We can say anything we like about the hated imperialism and the evil bourgeoisie, but as long as they have the concurrence of a majority who, for whatever reason, prefers to sit in their shadow instead of fighting them, then no matter how strong rebels shout or how noisy their firearms are, the dominating classes will be impossible to beat.
Moreover, only a fanatic could deny the fact that they have huge military and repressive apparatuses that they never hesitate to use, they hold the reins of formal education and are owners of the mass media dedicated to shaping people's opinions. And as if that were not enough, they are the owners of scientific and technological knowledge, and by virtue of the above they are able to impose a cultural hegemony that traps and shapes consciences.
We consider that we surpassed the old debate about the Marxist dogma. For all of us, it is clear that as a valuable source of economic and social knowledge, its invaluable dialectic heritage imposes consider it as a guide and not as a series of commandments. Abraham Lincoln liked to repeat that a compass shows us where the north is and the direction we want to take, but it doesn't show us the abyss, deserts, or the mud of the road.
This all sounds very reasonable until you take a step back and realize what's actually being said is that communists should give up arms, join bourgeois politics, and win elections because Chavez showed it was possible. A flawed idea in 2003, it's now a laughable one in 2017 when it is clear the election of Chavez, which is probably the furthest towards socialism one can achieve in bourgeois politics, did not affect the power of the bourgeoisie at all and the whole project is collapsing across the continent. Socialism wasn't built, real wealth distribution didn't even happen, the best that happened was oil money was better invested into investment and welfare and a few unproductive factories were nationalized. The Communist Party of the Philippines writing this critique against "armchair analysis" would be much more reasonable since they not only did not abandon Marxism Leninism for some vague "new method", they used and then abandoned the peace process depending on their specific goals and limits. The defeat of the process by vote last year should have been a blaring alarm at the fundamental impossibility of bourgeois politics to implement socialism but because FARC had already given up their weapons it was far too late.
babyhueypnewton posted:This all sounds very reasonable until you take a step back and realize what's actually being said is that communists should give up arms, join bourgeois politics, and win elections because Chavez showed it was possible. A flawed idea in 2003, it's now a laughable one in 2017 when it is clear the election of Chavez, which is probably the furthest towards socialism one can achieve in bourgeois politics, did not affect the power of the bourgeoisie at all and the whole project is collapsing across the continent. Socialism wasn't built, real wealth distribution didn't even happen, the best that happened was oil money was better invested into investment and welfare and a few unproductive factories were nationalized. The Communist Party of the Philippines writing this critique against "armchair analysis" would be much more reasonable since they not only did not abandon Marxism Leninism for some vague "new method", they used and then abandoned the peace process depending on their specific goals and limits. The defeat of the process by vote last year should have been a blaring alarm at the fundamental impossibility of bourgeois politics to implement socialism but because FARC had already given up their weapons it was far too late.
yeah, i completely agree with you. the problem is that FARC was screwed no matter what they did. (of course, we have no idea how they came to their conclusions.) we all know what happened to the patriotic union, and we know what's happening to those communists who have given up their arms right now in colombia. it was likewise looking very unlikely they would make any progress at all in the war since clinton poured money and guns in plan colombia. the CPP was much smarter holding onto their guns to maintain independence during negotiations. oh well, i have faith.