"The use of the term lumpen in this instance ... is merely a label or description of
things that tend to be associated with a particular class." I see, rape, murder, and
oither criminal activities are associated with being poor. Ahem, don't you see
anything wrong with this kind of formulation? Not to mention that you are applying to
a group whose leaders did not especially come from poverty.
I understand exactly what you and Malcolm I guess mean by labelling crimes
revolutionary. But they all do it. Lenin, Stalin, Fidel, Mao. And they do it for
Machiavellian reasons. How else would try to cover crimes except by pretending that
they are something else? E.g., necessary for the cause.
Art McGee wrote:
> > "The BPP did not fully appreciate the necessity for cultural
> > > transformation in the movement. Instead, they promoted a
> > > "revolutionary culture" that was amorphous and self-serving.
> > > It was rooted in a Machiavellian rationalization of
> > > Malcolm's "by any means necessary" dicta whereby members
> > > simply legitimized their lumpen activities by asserting that
> > > these were somehow "revolutionary." This approach was used
> > > especially to sexually exploit women, to character
> > > assassinate rivals, to rationalize the misuse of BPP funds
> > > by the national leadership, to justify internecine violence,
> > > or to excoriate rival organizations (such as with the NOI,
> > > SNCC, RNA [Republic of New Afrika], and Us organization)
> > > within the Black Power movement. This glorified lumpenism
> > > was so expansive that Hilliard (1993, pp. 339-339) reports
> > > that Huey even came to require that BPP members watch The
> > > Godfather, as he began to argue for a "progressive
> > > capitalism" (Newton, 1971). Allegedly, the Panther
> > > nightclub, The Lamp Post, even became, among other things, a
> > > front for prostitution and funding source for Huey's and the
> > > Central Committee's personal indulgences."
> >
> > Now if this isn't a claim that Panthers were controlled by their "lumpen" status
> > (unlike yourself and Mr. Henderson) I don't know what would. This is
> > patronizing.
>
> No, it isn't. The use of the term LUMPEN in this instance
> isn't being used in some Ultra-Nutcase Left way that you
> seem to think, but is merely a label or description of
> things that tend to be associated with a particular class.
>
> > It was rooted in a Machiavellian rationalization of
> > Malcolm's "by any means necessary" dicta whereby members
> > simply legitimized their lumpen activities by asserting that
> > these were somehow "revolutionary."
>
> All he's saying is that they tried to LEGITIMIZE bad stuff
> they did by labeling it revolutionary, when it wasn't. This
> is something you should be agreeing with, but apparently,
> you see the word "lumpen" and your mind gets transported
> into some sort of sectarian time-warp.
>
> Art
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