wallflower
22nd March 2008, 12:36
I just joined, and want to make a quick introduction. I guess I should start with my impetus for joining; I live in Midwest USA - not exactly a hotbed of Leftist thought/activity - yet managed to find a dear friend with whom I could talk politics and policy. He passed away not long ago, and I found myself surrounded only by friends and family of the capitalist (albeit "liberal", as it is known in these parts) persuasion who either don't know my politics or just think socialism is merely my "flavor of the month", despite it having lasted 10 years and counting. My late friend was a curious combination of a theologian and a Leftist; he never talked of the eternity of the soul but, instead, of his interpretation of Jesus' message - that we are here to turn *this world* into the Kingdom of God through love, compassion, and social and economic justice. I am not a religious man; I am a doubter by nature, but I feel there is something reassuring in a theology like the one I was exposed to after leaving college under the pressure of impending expulsion for Maoist agitation.
I have since turned my back on Mao, and even the most revisionist account of Stalin will nauseate me. I am better read in critical theory than revolutionary theory, but have read enough to know I lean more toward an acceptance of orthodox Marxism/Leninism, Trotskyism, and Situationism than most other Leftist currents. I am a classical musician by training, and am active as a composer and passionate about the politics of abstract expressionism.
So I guess that's that. I am an extreme introvert and a lurker by nature, so don't expect me to post much. I just enjoy reading the discussion and debate; it stimulates my creativity and helps me find peace with what I have lost.
I have since turned my back on Mao, and even the most revisionist account of Stalin will nauseate me. I am better read in critical theory than revolutionary theory, but have read enough to know I lean more toward an acceptance of orthodox Marxism/Leninism, Trotskyism, and Situationism than most other Leftist currents. I am a classical musician by training, and am active as a composer and passionate about the politics of abstract expressionism.
So I guess that's that. I am an extreme introvert and a lurker by nature, so don't expect me to post much. I just enjoy reading the discussion and debate; it stimulates my creativity and helps me find peace with what I have lost.