One of the types of thinking I’ve been trying to change is the personal need for immediacy of the transition in economic modes of production. As someone who believes in communism and wants the project to succeed, I feel it’s important to reconcile two different perspectives. This is mostly meant for me as a self-crit, but I invite anyone to add to it if you relate.
From one perspective I have historical materialism, which is a very high level understanding of classes and their influence on the mode of production over time. From this perspective it helps me put into context why things happened. It also helps me to understand what will happen.
On the other hand, I have my personal perspective as an USian living day in and day out as an individual. American culture does not necessarily instill a work ethic, rather more of an opportunist path which allows for instant gratification (just look at the increase in gambling over the last decade).
These two perspectives end up battling each other. While I know, from a historical materialist perspective, that the transition from feudalism to capitalism was a multi-century process and I should reasonably expect the full transition to socialism to last well past this century, I still yearn for it in my lifetime. I look at backward steps as catastrophic instead of inevitable chaos in the process of transition. Being in the US feels very much like the end of the world, partially because the culture here is a reflection of popular bourgeois sentiment. While this might be a good sign in the long run, as a trans person it is hard to be patient when the current administration is trying to criminalize my existence. Everything just feels… so slow.
I am proud of myself though. I have built a strong foundation over the last few years for the future. If I can weather this storm I will flourish when the sun comes out again.
Edit: re-worded the title
to capitalism was a multi-century process and I should reasonably expect the full transition to socialism to last well past this century, I still yearn for it in my lifetime.
Dialectical materialism. Though stagism is a thing, enough quantiative changes will lead to abrupt qualitative changes.
From the awesome Frome:
https://redsails.org/the-problem-of-recognition-in-transitional-states/
The Problem of Recognition in Transitional States
Why are there so many trans tankies? What is the beef between trans studies and queer theory? This essay proposes to answer both questions at once by identifying homologies between trans (and other) criticisms of queer theory and Marxist-Leninist criticisms of Western Marxism. That queer theory broadly shares Western Marxist proclivities towards pessimism and theoreticism is exemplified in its treatment of categories such as normativity, the universal, the bodily, the virtual, and science. Trans people’s experience impels us to seek further afield for a theory adequate to our situation, rejecting the chauvinist anticommunism that other leftists take for granted, and discovering underappreciated benefits to “sympathizing with the monster.” From this deparochialized perspective, it makes as little sense for a Marxist-Leninist to be transphobic as it does for a trans person to be anticommunist.
Dialectical materialism. Though stagism is a thing, enough quantiative changes will lead to abrupt qualitative changes.
I agree, but I’m also talking about the entire world here where the majority is still existing in the capitalist mode of production. Do I think it will be faster this century compared to last? Yes. Do I think it will be faster than the transition from feudalism to capitalism? Yes. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that it won’t take a long time from the perspective of an individual.
I suspect that development and transition to socialism will be uneven as different nations and societies have different relationships with imperialism, and I suspect it will not be linearly progressive but in fits and starts (Burkina Faso vs Nigeria for example)
And thanks for the quote from Frome, I haven’t read that essay for a while & will probably take a look again.
I think this is good analysis. I often forget the immediacy part as well.
The question i keep asking myself is: with my personal oppression issues, should i stay and fight or leave for a socialist countries and invest my then less restrained potential there and leave the fight to the more ablebodied? So far my answer is “i dont know” or it is just a qualitative change that will happen once I’m ready and i should not try to force myself. Right now I am full time kadre, agitator and propagandist. Maybe i will leave once people have taken my place. That may be the way to go. Lets see.
My only hope is that I managed to graduate and move to China before they deport me to home country (a shithole)
The reality is that you and I as individuals are largely meaningless in the grand scheme of things. It is better to think about things on a bigger scale. Anything you do today to contribute to us overcoming capitalism will combine with other efforts by many other people over many, many generations. The reality is that most of us would probably die before we see significant change, but there is an old saying, “plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” I am reminded of a speech by Xi Jinping where he says how he sees communism is a long-term vision of a great society where the combined labor of every generation is gradually constructing towards. Yes, you and I may die before it is completed, but if we do something to contribute to it, then we can at least go with the knowledge that we helped contribute to something that humanity of the future will benefit from.
