Shaw: thoughts on his theory and esp his

[James]

I have to read some of his stuff tomorrow ("Economic" in "Fabian Essays"). I havn't really looked at this chap before.
A brief glance on good though revealed this:


"Marx never got hold of him [working man] for a moment. It was the revolting sons of the bourgeois itself - Lassalle, Marx, Liebknecht, Morris, Hyndman, Bax, all like myself, crossed with squirearchy - that painted the flag red. The middle and upper classes are the revolutionary element in society; the proletariat is the conservative element."

Thoughts?

And thoughts regarding his (and i guess Fabians) theory in general?

[Amusing Scrotum]

Well I seem to remember that Lassalle was a complete prat, though to be honest, this....


Originally posted by Shaw
The middle and upper classes are the revolutionary element in society; the proletariat is the conservative element.

....is hilarious.

Indeed history (and to a degree voting records) completely invalidate this hypothesis.

[James]

to be fair, no not quite.
Often leadership/inspiration/organisation is heavily influenced if not driven by the middle class (in england at least).
Take the chartists for example.

[Amusing Scrotum]

Originally posted by [email protected] 8 2006, 08:36 PM
Often leadership/inspiration/organisation is heavily influenced if not driven by the middle class (in england at least).

Well people aren't "inspired" to revolt, rather it becomes a reasonable conclusion based on the conditions they live in.

"Organisation" has almost always been carried out by the working class themselves. Indeed Leninist Parties I am informed have a long history of recruiting workers to do their "donkey work" whilst the "middle class" leadership sits on its arse.

As for "leadership", well I am not aware of any prominent "middle class" leader, outside of the now defunct CPGB, calling for revolution or being "revolutionary" themselves.

Indeed their "leadership" seems to result in them getting a nice seat in Westminster most of the time. :lol:

[redstar2000]

Originally posted by George Bernard Shaw
I have always held the religion of Muhammad in high estimation because of its wonderful vitality. It is the only religion which appears to me to possess that assimilating capacity to the changing phase of existence which can make itself appeal to every age. I have studied him - the wonderful man and in my opinion far from being an anti-Christ, he must be called the Saviour of Humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it the much needed peace and happiness.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Bernard_Shaw

Hopeless nutball! :(

http://www.websmileys.com/sm/cool/123.gif