You aren't old enough to appreciate it (I read it when I was 17) read principles of communism by Engels, its much easier.
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The Communist Manifesto Sucks
I tried to read the communist manifesto again for like the first time since 16 and holy shit is it bad. I mean it fucking blew wet chunks. Marx may have been a pretty smart guy, but boy does he suck at writing. I can see how the style of writing and ideology appealed to me then, but holy bad.
You aren't old enough to appreciate it (I read it when I was 17) read principles of communism by Engels, its much easier.
For student organizing in california, join this group!
http://www.revleft.com/vb/group.php?groupid=1036
http://socialistorganizer.org/
"[I]t’s hard to keep potent historical truths bottled up forever. New data repositories are uncovered. New, less ideological, generations of historians grow up. In the late 1980s and before, Ann Druyan and I would routinely smuggle copies of Trotsky’s History of the Russian Revolution into the USSR—so our colleagues could know a little about their own political beginnings.”
--Carl Sagan
I don't see what's so bad about it? Elaborate your point.
Which translation are you reading?
It's fairly well organized and well put together, but the writing is just so bland and boring. His shit just doesn't resonate compared to modern writing.
I'm reading it off of libcom, idk what translation that is.
I got goosebumps when I read it the first time. Give it a chance! Its the 2nd best selling book of all time.
For student organizing in california, join this group!
http://www.revleft.com/vb/group.php?groupid=1036
http://socialistorganizer.org/
"[I]t’s hard to keep potent historical truths bottled up forever. New data repositories are uncovered. New, less ideological, generations of historians grow up. In the late 1980s and before, Ann Druyan and I would routinely smuggle copies of Trotsky’s History of the Russian Revolution into the USSR—so our colleagues could know a little about their own political beginnings.”
--Carl Sagan
Well it is mid-19th Century writing, so yeah, of course it's not gonna resonate in 21st Century as well as it did two centuries ago.
fka Orlyevich
Perhaps someone should write a modern language version like they did with the bible.
"yo check it aight dem rich mofo's got dem freedom but like ain't freedom fo no poor man ya get me?"
Is that true? I'd never heard that before.
I really liked it when I was younger, but I think thats because I went in with I guess high expectations or looked at it a little less critically.
Theres some shit that's timeless though. The Jungle or Huck Finn, for example. The Manifesto not so much.
First rule on rev left- no one dare to criticize the Great Marx.
Any real change implies the breakup of the world as one has always known it, the loss of all that gave one an identity, the end of safety. And at such a moment, unable to see and not daring to imagine what the future will now bring forth, one clings to what one knew, or dreamed that one possessed. Yet, it is only when a man is able, without bitterness or self-pity, to surrender a dream he has long possessed that he is set free - he has set himself free - for higher dreams, for greater privileges.”
-James Baldwin
"We change ideas like neckties."
- E.M. Cioran
True enough. Hell, if I remember correctly (read: most likely don't), it was actually a commissioned work for the Communist League or somesuch.
Hell, before they kicked the bucket, Marx and Engels did say that a lot of the Manifesto was outdated. So yeah, still somewhat theoretically useful, but definitely not timeless.
For better or for worse, though, it is still viewed as the iconic Communist/Marxist theoretical work.
fka Orlyevich
If you think it is that bad, then I believe you don't really understand what it says.
Maybe it's time for a movie version.
[Grams: Haunting music - a single weak voice singing 'The International' fades in]
A blighted wasteland; smoke drifts by.
[Caption: "Europe, 1848"]
A figure enters from behind the camera and begins walking into the distance. They are shambling, and draped in a large piece of red cloth.
[Voiceover: Cate Blanchett: "The world is changing... I feel it in the water... "...
Oh, no wait, that's something different isn't it?
Critique of the Gotha Programme, Pt IV: http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1875/gotha/ch04.htm
No War but the Class War
Destroy All Nations
Lucius Accius (170 BC - 86 BC): "A man whose life has been dishonorable is not entitled to escape disgrace in death."
I think, thus I disagree. | Chairperson of a Socialist Party branchMarxist Internet Archive | Communistisch Platform
Working class independence - Internationalism - Democracy
Educate - Agitate - Organise
you sound like a middle aged white person trying to imitate hip hop.
I think that's the point.
I remember a terrible exercise I had to do at school where we looked at Mark Anthony's speech as written in a faux-1956 Jive dialect...
'Friends, Romans, Hipsters, let me clue you in... they say Caesar had big eyes...'
It was awful. Truly dreadful. I'm sure that's what Ratty was going for.
Critique of the Gotha Programme, Pt IV: http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1875/gotha/ch04.htm
No War but the Class War
Destroy All Nations
Lucius Accius (170 BC - 86 BC): "A man whose life has been dishonorable is not entitled to escape disgrace in death."
Is that really true? I remember hearing once that honor belonged to Marco Polo's book but it's record has probably been broken since it's time.
Comrade Samuel: The defender of truth, justice and the un-American way.
