Re: <nettime> The New "Left" - OR why inequality is politicallyuseful

["Q Temby" <virglen@iinet.net.au>]

> The anti-globalisation demonstrators have often not faced up to the fact that
> they are lending support to Buchanan and Le Pen. There's an extraordinary
> silence about the economic racism of opposng globalsation from a 1st  world
> perspective.

McKenzie, I think youre talking about the nationalist/protectionist type
view here. I just wanted to turn the tables on some of your thinking
here...because i dont see it as a silence, more of a strategic alliance.
Note that corporate globalisation right from its mercantilist beginnings
has been (is) a form of "economic racism" if you like. Free trade and
deregulation of markets is something recommended to be imposed on others,
and protection and corporate welfare is for the powerful. Obviously this is
exactly what anti-globalisation people are speaking out against. The
silence is perhaps about the fact that not all of us understand these
issues the same way. However it seems that, for example, One Nation
supporters rightly empathise with the anti-corporate critique - so they
should be part of the movement. Racism (not just economic) is an
unfortunate but general sentiment that is exploited by people like Hanson,
Buchanon and Le Pen. But they are demagogues and thats what demagogues do.
Were not lending them support, they strategically take it from us.

Incidentally in the organising that ive been involved in for s11 this issue
hasnt been overlooked. Because even though there is a strategic alliance
there shouldnt be silence on where we actually stand. And the argument
about who is hurt most by corporate globalisation (ie the third world) is
pretty compelling ...i think if most people got to see it they would agree.

Q


#  distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission
#  <nettime> is a moderated mailing list for net criticism,
#  collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets
#  more info: majordomo@bbs.thing.net and "info nettime-l" in the msg body
#  archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: nettime@bbs.thing.net