Political Revolution + Cultural Revolution

Class consciousness may also be counterrevolutionary. Mainly because it entails a language and narrative of oppression being affirmed.

Castroism, if there's such a thing, needs some scrutiny. For example, what were the effects of US sanctions on Cuba? How did Cuba respond? Is there a unique economic model running the country? I'm not sure about Castro as yet.

Nevertheless the idea of revolution goes beyond class conflict and into linguistic domination. Maybe 'semiotic domination' is the right expression. What are the language systems we use and how do they work, what are the inputs and outputs? Our language systems ooze with presuppositions that are almost always affirmed. In fact, it may only be possible to have positive class consciousness under a deconstruction of language.

Why is that?

Because it is essentially dialectical in nature

Human history is a history of material relations hence revolution is intricately tied to the dialectics that define mayerial class struggle. Language is confined to abstract realities.

Most revolution is counter productive because of its emphasis on the illusiory 'them versus us' division, which not only creates victimhood but ends up allocating much of the peoples power of agency to their so called tormentors.

True revolution occurs when we appreciate that we need our tormentors as much as we need our lovers. Revolution then happens not so much from overcoming the 'oppressor' but when we overcome our need for such oppression - of which the perpetrator is simply our chosen agent.

Overtime I have come to quietly appreciate the point that the symbolism carried in language is neither random nor coincidental.

Revolution indeed is, literally, a return to a prior state, not the radical break with the past that most of us think it is. But then so are all things and events in our reality - 'simply a circling back to a home base, or a yearning for the same.'

Perhaps this misunderstanding could explain why all revolutions seem fated to end in disappointment and most revolutionaries - from Jesus to Che to Kimathi - end up as tragic heroes.

Maybe so, may no.

Reminds of the joke about the three Jews and existentialism:

1. Marx - it is all about class struggle
2. Freud - no, it is all about struggle with self
3. Einstein - wrong you two, it is all relative

Your preference depends on perspective, context and background - and whether you preferred Toivo, or KM hooch in College.

@wakanyugi, sounds familiar....KU?

Guilty

I hear KM has become gentrified now and Toivo became baptized punch. I fear the current generation will never know the genesis of true Marxist activism or the ideological/alcoholic fuel that drove it. So sad.