My use of the word "animal" to try to describe some components of our consciousness seems to provoke a reaction in itself. I am not saying "animal" is any better than "human". I'm not saying I'm superior to anyone or "enlightened". All I'm saying is that parts of our consciousness have to do with survival, these elements being very dominant when activated. I suppose one way of putting is that your "selfish" thought patterns are parts of the animal consciousness. The media use this to sell shit. The rich who run the world use this to keep us de-educated and docile - to some, "class struggle" is literarily shouting at similarly-minded people and trying to "win" arguments for the sake of winning.
Yes humans have overiding instincts for self preservation and material gain thats obvious. But what you seem to misunderstand is that put in the simplest terms possible GREED has both a good and bad side. If only the ruling class were greedy we'd all just sit here and say things like ''oh well just got fired, no food for me, so i'll just lay here on the floor right now and die, never mind'' obviously that would be a shit world to live in, obviously self-interest makes people struggle to survive.
The point of Class Struggle is that you have to recognise that it is in your self-interest as an individual within a class to see that society should be improved so your class benefits, therefore making you benefit in turn.
Thus capitalism is inherently self destructive. As it creates the means by which it can be destroyed.
Now, this may be people's "right" but the "people" don't stop at our borders. All over the world, people are dying from the exploitation they suffer. This exploitation can only be fought if the relatively small number of voters in the "West" find a way to fight back against the rulership of the rich. At this time, the voters vote in Bush and Blair. If my son had just died of dysentry building a slave railroad in Burma, I'd be a bit pissed off that the voters in the countries with the international power to change things just insisted that it was their right to remain ignorant and powerless.
what has a piece of paper every four years got to do with anything?
Captain Sadness, I said that you seemed to want to pepetuate ignorance because you were arguing against the passing on of information to another, regardless of the information itself (hence the time-telling analogy). I see the media and education systems and religions as means of indoctrinating and controlling people - this has to be fought but it can't be until the "masses" understand some of how its done. Put down the Sun, switch off the TV. Start to think for yourself.
hmmm i reckon you should calm down a bit and argue rationally, because that paragraph makes very little sense
john
Tip: Having a dig at someone for having a dirty job and not getting up the career ladder doesn't get you much support amongst the left.... Come to think of it you should get on fine with half the people on here.