As the title suggests, the working people in North America, by whom I mean the working class as well as the middle class, are deeply divided, upon the issue of abortion. It is safe to say that almost everyone, among the working people, the proletariat as well as the petty bourgeois, is either in favour of some form of legalized abortion, referred to as ”pro choice”, or dead set against legalized abortion, referred to as ”pro life”. Almost no one is indifferent, which is to say has no opinion, concerning the subject of abortion.
As an aside, I should mention that I dislike both terms, ”pro life” and ”pro choice”, as the implication is that the two are diametrically opposed. They are not. Yet as the terms are deeply entrenched in popular usage, I have chosen to use those terms, at least for the purposes of this article. Further, I have chosen to refer to the monopoly capitalists, the billionaires, the members of a class referred to as the bourgeoisie, as simply capitalists. They should not be confused with the small business owners, the middle class, the petty bourgeois, as such are the friends and allies of the proletariat.
It is also safe to say that the capitalists are quite happy about this division, within the working people. This despite the fact that, as a class, they largely comprise some of the few people whom are indifferent on the subject of abortion. Hooray for any issue which divides the working people!
The more the working people are fighting among themselves, the better for the capitalists! After all, the capitalists are not entirely stupid. They are well aware that capitalists and workers are class enemies. A divided working class is a weak working class. The more the working class is divided, fighting among themselves, the better for the capitalist class. Divide and conquer!
As for those who think that I am overstating the situation, consider the opinion of Mao Tse Tung, a great revolutionary Marxist, the one who led the Chinese revolution to victory, in 1949.
As Mao stated, at the time of the Chinese revolution, it is of the ”first importance”, to determine our friends and our enemies. That was as true then, as it is now. Rest assured, all members of the proletariat, as well as the petty bourgeois, are friends, regardless of their personal views on abortion. Their common enemy is the capitalists, the bourgeoisie.
I should add that at the time of the Chinese revolution, the situation was quite complicated. There were various classes involved. These involved the proletariat, the peasants, the landlords, the middle class, the bourgeoisie, the intelligentsia, as well as the invading imperialists.
The current situation, at least here in North America, is no where near as complex. The capitalists have done a most impressive job of simplifying the class struggle! Most of the middle class, the small business owners, as well as the family farmers, the equivalent of the peasants, have been all but wiped out! Now it is us versus them, the working class against the capitalist class, the proletariat against the bourgeoise!
That being said, it is important to bear in mind that there was a reason the Chinese revolution of 1949 succeeded. As Mao stated, ”the basic reason why all previous revolutionary struggles in China achieved so little was their failure to unite with real friends, in order to attack real enemies…we must pay attention to uniting with our real friends in order to attack our real enemies”. (my italics)
I mention this as a means of stressing the importance of uniting with ”real friends, in order to attack real enemies”. Those who are pro life are not the enemy of those who are pro choice! We are all working people, either working class, proletarians, or middle class, petty bourgeois. We have a common enemy!
The alternative, that of fighting among ourselves, will give rise to the same result as that of all Chinese revolutionary struggles, prior to 1949. Basically nothing. In other words, as long as we are fighting among ourselves, we can expect to accomplish next to nothing.
Another great revolutionary leader, that of the great Lenin, also had a few words to say on the subject. Immediately after the successful socialist Russian revolution of 1917, he wrote an article titled Left Wing Communism, An Infantile Disorder. He pointed out that capitalism, by its very nature, gives rise to a ”large number of exceedingly motley types, intermediate between the proletarian and semi-proletarian”, including the petty artisan and handicraft worker. He went on to say that the proletariat is also divided into ”more developed and less developed strata”, as well as those of ”territorial origin, trade, sometimes according to religion, and so on”. Now that is a rather accurate description of our current situation!
As passions are running so high, concerning the issue of abortion, may I suggest that all concerned ”take a deep breath”, sit down and try to gain some serenity. I much recommend this to that of ”taking a valium”! Screaming at those who are of a different opinion than that of our own, is ”counter productive”, to state it politely. To phrase it in more popular, but perhaps more accurate terms, it is nothing other than simple stupidity!
With a little reflection, I think we can all agree that capitalism creates the conditions which give rise to ”unwanted pregnancies”. This is a polite way of saying that women who are raped, frequently do not want to give birth to the child of a rapist. Who can blame them? Of course, there are numerous other examples I could list.
With that in mind, may I suggest that we put aside our deep differences, some of which are based on religious beliefs, and focus on the best way to destroy the system that gives rise to wide spread instances of rape, sexual assault and child molestation, among other things. Of course I am referring to capitalism. The capitalists have to be overthrown, and that is a ”tall order”.
First and foremost, this requires a strong, working proletariat, united with the middle class. If nothing else, everyone can agree that there is strength in numbers! This is not to imply that we must exchange hugs and kisses. That is not necessary. It simply means that we must respect each other, and that includes our different beliefs. Despite our differences, we are friends, all members of either the working class or the middle class, complete with a common enemy, the capitalist class.
Overthrowing capitalism is referred to as ”getting to the root of the problem”, and makes so much more sense than exchanging insults. After the revolution, after the capitalists are overthrown and crushed under the Dictatorship of the Proletariat, the conditions which give rise to the vast majority of unwanted pregnancies will be eliminated. At that point, those who are classified as ”pro life” and those who are classified as ”pro choice”, can get together and resolve their differences. It is very likely that by then, it will amount to little more than a ”tempest in a tea cup”.
Without doubt, our class enemies will make every effort to continue to divide us. The last thing they want to see is a united proletariat! To that end, we can expect them to accuse us of hypocrisy! As they are the ultimate hypocrites, they take great delight in accusing others of their vices! They would much rather see us at each others throats!
It is certainly not hypocrisy to put aside our differences and unite against our common enemy! In fact, it is good common sense!
A fine example of this ”common sense” happened many years ago, during the ”Colonial Rebellion of the Seventeen Seventies”, as the British refer to it, or the ”Revolutionary War of Independence”, as the Americans phrase it. It all depends on your view point!
During that Revolutionary War, various classes came together. The capitalists of the northern colonies united with the slave owners of the southern colonies. As well, the workers, small business owners, family farmers -peasants-, tradesmen, frontiersmen and in fact people from all walks of life, including former slaves, came together against their foreign rulers, the British nobility. Americans with deep differences came together, including those whom had every reason to hate each other, under far more difficult circumstances, and launched a successful revolution. They did it once, they can do it again!
In 1776, there were a considerable number of colonials who remained loyal to the ”Crown”, the British nobility. These were referred to as Tories. Most of them were reasonably wealthy, and correspond to the middle class intellectuals of today. The revolutionaries targeted them, publicly humiliated them, with the use of ”tar and feathers”. The middle class defenders of capitalism would do well to take note of the manner in which their Tory ancestors were treated!
As well, American diplomats appealed to the French nobility. Not that the French nobility was any different from the British nobility. The American colonials merely took advantage of the hostility between the two groups of nobility, and used it to their advantage.
I use these as mere examples of the different tactics which were used in this particular class struggle, that of the first Revolutionary War. As is often the case, a straight forward assault, upon the ruling class, is nothing more than a suicide charge! Just as the American revolutionaries formed an alliance with the French nobility, to the benefit of the American revolution, so too we must form alliances. The point being that we must not only unite, but also attempt different tactics.
We want to get as many working people involved in the political struggle, against the capitalists, as possible. To this day, there are a great many working people, honest, hard working, law abiding citizens, who truly believe that their democratically elected leaders represent them. We must respect their beliefs. They deserve our utmost respect. They are going to have to learn, from their own experience, that the bourgeois politicians serve the capitalists. What better way to do this, than by electing some of their own, proletarian politicians, and sending them to Washington? After all, the most vocal supporters of capitalism tell us that if we do not like the system, we should ”change it from within”. Excellent idea!
As Lenin pointed out, ”politics is a science and an art that does not fall from the skies or come gratis, and that, if it wants to overcome the bourgeoisie, the proletariat must train its own politicians, ‘class politicians’, of a kind in no way inferior to bourgeois politicians”. (italics by Lenin
For that reason, in previous writings, I have recommended that all Americans join the two mainstream political parties, as card carrying members. This may be against the ”rules”, but not the law, so feel free to be naughty. After all, it is the card carrying members of each party, who determine the candidates for each and every political office. If sufficient Americans join the two parties, then it is possible to flood Washington with ”Leftist”, proletarian politicians. These people can in turn support Senator Sanders and the members of The Squad. Democracy in action! Majority rule! Hah!
In such a case, the capitalists will not allow the working class to seize power, through ”majority rule”. They will be sure to make that abundantly clear! In that way, even the least advanced workers will learn, from experience, that the Communists are correct, that the capitalists have to be overthrown and crushed, under the Dictatorship of the Proletariat.
We can only stress the fact that the flooding of Washington with Leftist politicians will not result in political power being placed in the hands of the workers. It will serve to raise the level of awareness of the proletariat. Working people will learn, from their own experience, that democracy is not majority rule, but class rule! The capitalists are in charge, and they fully intend to remain in charge!
The idea of flooding Washington with Leftist politicians -”Bernie Bros”- is to serve the dual purpose of raising the level of awareness of the working class, as well as weakening Congress from within, in preparation for revolution and the subsequent Dictatorship of the Proletariat.
In addition, literature must be created, for the working class, written in terms which they can understand. The proletariat must be made aware that the word proletariat means worker. The Russian word Soviet, merely means Council. The Soviet Union was, in English, the Council Union. Most working people are now becoming aware that workers Councils are taking shape all across North America. It is these Councils which must replace the current system of government, and that includes Congress. The Senate and House of Representatives must be dissolved, replaced by Councils of workers.
It is also a fact that working people need leaders. This is to say that a true political party must be created, one which serves the proletariat. Of course I am referring to a Communist Party, and there is an urgent need for such a Party. Yet the creation of such a Party is well beyond the ability of most working people. That is the point at which middle class intellectuals, those whom are aware of the revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin, can prove to be most useful. Hopefully they too, can put aside their differences, including those concerning the subject of abortion, and cooperate.
It is Benjamin Franklin, the famous American revolutionary, who is credited with stating that ”we can all hang together, or we can all hang separately”. Well spoken! While that may not be literally true, the point is still valid. We can choose to fight among ourselves, concerning the issue of abortion, or we can unite to destroy capitalism, the very system which gives rise to unwanted pregnancies.
As I write this, demonstrations are taking place all across the country, demanding access to legalized abortion. Now if all that anger and enthusiasm could be directed against capitalism! That would make so much more sense!
These demonstrations are most gratifying, as it shows that working people, both proletarians and middle class people, are in motion, demanding change. Yet that state of mind, by itself, is not sufficient. In fact, it could well harm the revolutionary motion! That harm comes at the point where we are fighting each other, rather than the capitalists.
To repeat, it is the system of capitalism which gives rise to so many unwanted pregnancies -among a great many other things!- and until the capitalists are overthrown and crushed under the Dictatorship of the Proletariat, nothing of substance will change.
It is my most fervent desire that the people who are currently protesting, on both sides of the issue of abortion, should get together and agree to disagree. We are all working people, either proletarians or petty bourgeois, and have a common enemy. The capitalist class, the bourgeoisie. Divided, we fail. United, we succeed. Let us unite and overthrow the capitalists! May the banners of the protesters read:
Workers of the World, Unite!
Dictatorship of the Proletariat!
Gerald McIsaac Science Project 