Marxism failed because there was no proof that the social-economic was the really real

Indistinct Union: Christianity, Integral Philosophy, and Politics
Exploration of Unity Consciousness, Christian Life, Integral Thought, and the Future of Politics in a Post-Postmodern World Thursday, August 23, 2007 Che Documentary Chris Dierkes Very good documentary about Che Guevara. Based on the recent (and best English) bio of the man-- Che: A Revolutionary Biography by John Lee Anderson.

Che is a fascinating (and disturbing) study. On the one hand, Che's heart was moved by the poverty of his native South America. He was a doctor and some part of him sought to heal.On the other, his rigid ideology and worse his psychotic pathology were evil. The video shows (more than I knew) of how he was essentially Castro's executioner. His ability to murder (see his non-emotional non-reflection on his first murder/execution) is chilling. Part of the doctor, surgical mindset I suppose.

Marx's philosophy and sociology is all built around the premise that consciousness is a social by-product. That social, economic, and technological force is the really real. Therefore, the socialist state, to make the "socialist being" (one of Che's passions) must control all property and economics. Thereby all consciousness will be molded to the socialist dream. Like clockwork. 100% guaranteed. Marxism failed because there was no proof that the social-economic was the really real. Marx did however add to Western thought that social-economic-class elements are intertwined in every movement of consciousness, philosophy, and religion.

Che, more than Castro and certainly more than Marx himself, stands in the line of Trotsky, of perpetual socialist revolution. What I found most interesting about the film was how the communist guerillas hid out in Cuba during their insurgency against the dictatorship of Batista. There they gained the connection of the people.

His heart towards the poor and constant revolution gives him the "Christic" element (in the face of the Che shirts). A secular Christ-figure. Or rather atheistic communist religious Christ figure. The psychotic killer is forgotten in that image however. Everywhere else Che went (Bolivia, Congo) he never gained the love/hearts of the populace (as we know from Iraq, an important step in any insurgency/counterinsurgency movement). Without that base, Che went from revolutionary "of the people" (as it were) to revolutionary against the people. Like communists like Mao, Stalin, and others before him. tags technorati : che guevara tags technorati : marx tags technorati : communism posted by CJ Smith @ 6:57 PM 0 comments