Were Marx a Hero?

[gunnarSUmedlem]

Karl Marx had many good basic ideas about the subject of communism and revolution. But he were still a male chauvinist, a anti-semite and a rascist. Don't excuse him with "everybody at his time did so," many people at that time were jews, feminist or anti-bigotry-people. Look at the human right defender capitalists in the USA ( Abe Lincoln.) He were pro-capitalism, but were he so much worse than Karl Marx? Karl Marx were more rascist than Abe Lincoln, therefore more fascist than Abe Lincoln. I think Marx were a more important personality in the leftist history, but were he better than Lincoln? And if, why?

[Drifter]

Karl Marx was a german philosopher who, working together along with Friedrich Engels, wrote Das Kapital.

the worker controlled state he envisioned became the basis for the communist system.
how does this make him a hero?
racism and socialism are not mutually exclusive,
why do they have to be categorised into who is 'better' than the other?

[Moskitto]

My desktop wallpaper is a quote from the Communist manifesto by Karl Marx "The bourgeois sees his wife a mere instrument of production" (And a picture of a prostitute which everyone else who sees me on my computer concentrates on.) So I'm not sure that he was an male chauvanist.

And he said that he wished to abolish counties and nationality in the communis manifesto so he may not have been properly racist.

But he wrote a book called "The Jewish Question" and that could be anti-seminite but i haven't read it so I don't know.

And I believe he did say that he wasn't a communist

Whever he was a racist, male chauvanist, fascist or started the most destructive political movement in history he was a significant historical, political and economic figure. Indeed even our schools business studies department has posters of major figures in economics and includes him.

My brother (moderate-conservative) says that Karl Marx pointed out the problem (capitalism exploiting everyone) but not the solution.

[vox]

Before this gets too out of hand, let's remember that Marx was a Jew by birth. His family was not observant and his father converted to Protestantism for the sake of his business.

"On the Jewish Question" is an early essay by Marx, and it's the first time he proposed that economic life is the cause of alienation. It should be read in the context of socialist thought at that time, and as a continuation of the work of the Young Hegelians. Marx, and pretty much everyone else, was also very influenced by Feuerbach at that time, whose Essence of Christianity was a major work.

Also, Marx didn't say that he wasn't a communist. Indeed, he used the word to define and set apart his ideas from the other socialists of the day. Rather, after being hounded by a young man with a bit of a case of hero worship, Marx said, "I'm not a Marxist!" That's what I recall about it, anyway.

vox

[gunnarSUmedlem]

You're right everybody. But all serious liberation movements are just as important. Marx was born a jew, and fanatic atheists (Like Nietsche, Marx and me) often hate the religion they grew up in much more than any other religion.

[CPK]

count me as an athiest. ;)

[Drifter]

i believe he said that religion is the opium of the masses or something along those lines

[Moskitto]

"On the Jewish Question" is an early essay by Marx, and it's the first time he proposed that economic life is the cause of alienation. It should be read in the context of socialist thought at that time, and as a continuation of the work of the Young Hegelians. Marx, and pretty much everyone else, was also very influenced by Feuerbach at that time, whose Essence of Christianity was a major work.

Thanks that's cleared that for me.

[AgustoSandino]

when making assertions, such as calling marx an anti-semite and male chauvinist, please back them up with quotes and explain the context of the quote. thanks.

[suffianr]

AgustoSandino, man, that avatar is from The Onion, isn't it? Hahahahaha...That's fucking hilarious! :)

Oh yeah, Marx. Wasn't he that guy who was hooked on opium? ;)

[Blasphemy]

Quote: from gunnarSUmedlem on 4:34 pm on Sep. 20, 2001
Karl Marx had many good basic ideas about the subject of communism and revolution. [...] a anti-semite...

an anti-semite? wasn't he jewish???

[lenin]

argggggggg!!!! check my post 'marx social views' in S vs C. he was born into an ethnically jewish family but was baptised a protastant and was an anti-semite. th elack of knowledge about marx on this site is disgraceful!

[anti machine]

"He were pro-capitalism, but were he so much worse than Karl Marx? Karl Marx were more rascist than Abe Lincoln." I thought Marx was one guy. I guess he WEREN"T. haha.

[marxistdisciple]

I don't think he was a hero, just a visionary. It was all about the ideals you know?