Bulletin N° 634
Subject: ON FINGERS THAT PULL
THE TRIGER AND FINGERS THAT PULL THE STRINGS, AN OLD TECHNOLOGY IN NEW HANDS.
16 November 2014
Grenoble, France
Dear Colleagues and Friends of
CEIMSA,
According to Wilhelm Reich, the
metaphors of Freudian psychology had been surpassed by scientific understanding
of the principles of bioenergy. The stasis in energy
flow, which Freud called psychoneurosis,
is found in the musculature of the organism, the origins of which date back to
early childhood experiences. In the classic sociological distinction between nature and nurture, Reich emphasized the effects of external social conditions
on the almost immutable character development of an individual. With this, he shared common theoretical assumptions with Marxist/Leninist
theory, for which Freud never forgave him; nor did the Communist Party accept
the explanation that conditioned sexual repression was the source of economic
exploitation and political injustice.
Freud branded Reich as a “Bolshevik”
in 1933, and he had written earlier at the end of 1929 that,
The
Communists believe they have found way of delivering us from this evil. Man is
whole-heartedly good and friendly to his neighbor, they say, but the system of
private property has corrupted his nature. The possession of private property
gives power to the individual and thence the temptation arises to ill-treat his
neighbor; the man who is excluded from the possession of property is obliged to
rebel in hostility against the oppressor. If private property were abolished,
all valuables held in common and all allowed to share in the enjoyment of them,
ill-will and enmity would disappear from among men. Since all needs would be
satisfied, none would have any reason to regard another as an enemy; all would
willingly undertake the world which is necessary. I have no concern with any
economic criticisms of the communistic system; I cannot enquire into whether
the abolition of private property is advantageous and expedient.* But I am able
to recognize that psychologically it is founded on an untenable illusion. By
abolishing private property one deprives the human love of aggression of one of
its instruments, a strong one undoubtedly, but assuredly not the strongest. It in
no way alters the individual differences in power and influence which are
turned by aggressiveness to its own use, not does it change the nature of the
instinct in any way. This instinct did not arise as the result of property; it
reigned almost supreme in primitive times when possessions were still extremely
scanty...Suppose that personal rights to material goods are done away with,
there still remain prerogatives in sexual relationships, which must arouse the
strongest rancor and most violent enmity among men and whom who are otherwise
equal. Let us suppose this were also to be removed by instituting complete
liberty in sexual life, so that the family, the germ-cell of culture, ceased to
exist; one could not, it is true, foresee the new paths on which culture
development might then proceed, but one thing one would be bound to expect and
that is that the ineffaceable feature of human nature would follow it wherever
it led.
_______
*Anyone who has been through the
misery of poverty in his youth, and has endured the indifference and arrogance
of those who have possessions, should be exempt from the suspicion that he has
no understanding of or goodwill towards the endeavors made to fight the
economic inequality of men and all that it leads to. To be sure, if an attempt
is made to base this fight upon an abstract demand for equality for all in the
name of justice, there is a very obvious objection to be made, namely, that
nature began the injustice by the highly unequal way in which she endows
individuals physically and mentally, for which there is no help." (footnote, p.41)
(Freud, Civilization and its Discontents (1930), pp.41-2)
Lenin’s carefully considered criticism of Sigmund
Freud were captured in a 1920 discussion with Clara Zetkin
in Moscow :
The
extension of Freudian hypotheses seems ‘educated’, even scientific, but it is
ignorant, bungling. Freudian theory is the modern fashion. I mistrust the
sexual theories of the articles, dissertations, pamphlets, etc., in short, of
that particular kind of literature which flourishes luxuriantly in the dirty
soil of bourgeois society. I mistrust those who are always contemplating the
several questions, like the Indian saint his navel. It seems to me that these
flourishing sexual theories which are mainly hypothetical, and often quite
arbitrary hypotheses, arise from the personal need to justify personal
abnormality or hypertrophy in sexual life before bourgeois morality, and to
entreat its patience. This masked respect for bourgeois morality seems to me
just as repulsive as poking about in sexual matters. However wild and
revolutionary the behavior may be, it is still really quite bourgeois. It is,
mainly, a hobby of the intellectuals and of the sections nearest them. There is
no place for it in the Party, in the class-conscious, fighting proletariat.(Excerpt from
: “Lenin on the Women’s Question” (1920), in My
Memorandum Book, by Clara Zetkin)
Zetkin
fought back, as you can see in her Memorandum
Book, telling Lenin that the exploitation of women was particular and that
a theoretical grasp of this phenomenon was necessary for revolutionary
socialist action. Did Freudian psychoanalysis offer such an understanding?
Lenin thought not; it should be “mistrusted” as bourgeois escapist fantasies used to
prop up the status quo !
The communists of Vienna and
elsewhere seem to have had a more ambivalent view of Freud: was he on to
something big, or was he simply a charlatan?
BBC Magazine: “1913: When
Hitler, Trotsky, Tito, Freud and Stalin all lived in the same place,”
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21859771
by
Andy Walker
Psycho-Analysis
and Marxism
https://www.marxists.org/archive/bernal/works/1930s/psycho.htm
by JD Bernal
First published in The
Labour Monthly, Vol. 19, July 1937, No. 7, pp.
435-437.
A careful reading of The
Interpretation of Dreams (1899) offers no conclusive evidence as
to the scientific status of Freud’s research. The most one might say is that
both Freud and Lenin conformed to the scientific dogma of their day by building
new theories on the logical critique past ideas. The work of Thomas Kuhn, Paradigm
Shift, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
(1962) suggests that this is not an historically accurate description of
the way new scientific theories are born.
The 9 items below, offer
CEIMSA readers additional information about pathogenic behaviors in the
constipated society where which we live.
Item
A.,
from TelesurEnglish,
is an article on the Grand Jury investigation of the Ferguson, Missouri
police execution of Michael Brown.
Item
B.,
from Democracy Now!, is an interview
with former Marine Captain Matthew Hoh,
discussing hidden impacts of war on those Americans who serve.
Item
C.,
from Democracy Now!, is a
presentation by Phil Donahue of his
new documentary film “Body of War,’ the story of the life of
Iraqi-war-veteran-turned-anti-war activist Tomas
Young, who has died on 10 November 2014 at the age of 34.
Item
D.,
from Boston historian Jim O’Brien,
founder of Historians Against The War, is a series of recommended
recent articles + information on the up-coming conference on the centenary of World War I, to be
held next week in New York City.
Item E., from Daily Kos, is the
introduction to the power behind the throne : ‘The Man
Who Made the Democratic Party What It Is Today’.
Item
F.,
from The Real
News Network, is a discussion with Public Citizen's director of
Global Trade Watch, Lori Wallach
speaking about the possible future of two neo-liberal economic programs that
are challenging the traditional powers of the nation state: the
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment
Partnership (TTIP).
Item
G.,
from Democracy Now!, is an
interview with retired US Lt. Gen.
Daniel P. Bolger, author of Why We
Lost, a critical account of the US invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Item
H.,
from Information Clearing House,
is a video illustrating the organized murder program being carried out by NATO
supported forces in Ukraine.
Item
I.,
from Democracy Now!, is a series
of reports on Police Brutality
against poor people across the United States of America.
An finally, we invite CEIMSA readers
to watch the award-winning documentary film :
A Sigmund Freud Documentary
(Parts 1 through 5)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdE9MKVSgyg
Sincerely,
Francis Feeley
Professor of American Studies
University of Grenoble-3
Director of Research
University of Paris-Nanterre
Center for the Advanced Study of
American Institutions and Social Movements
The University of California-San
Diego
http://dimension.ucsd.edu/CEIMSA-IN-EXILE/
__________________
A.
From
TelesurEnglish :
Date:
13 November 2014
Subject:
The Executioners on Trial in Ferguson, Missouri.
http://www.telesurtv.net/english
World Awaits Grand Jury Decision on Fate of Officer
Wilson
__________________
B.
From
Democracy Now! :
Date:
11 Novmeber 2014
Subject:
The Cost of Imperialist War.
An interview with Matthew Hoh, a
former Marine who fought in Iraq, discussing hidden impacts of war on those who
serve. In 2009, Hoh became the first known
U.S. official to resign in protest over the Afghan War. "The costs of
these wars are hidden," Hoh says. "Men and women coming from war have
always been afflicted by suicide. The problem is we don’t get help until we hit
rock bottom." Twenty-two U.S. veterans commit suicide every day, a toll
that has surpassed the number of soldiers killed in combat.
On Eve of Veterans Day, a Former Soldier Speaks
Out
on Hidden Costs of War from PTSD
to Suicide
http://www.democracynow.org/2014/11/10/on_eve_of_veterans_day_a
__________________
C.
From Democracy Now! :
Date:
11 November 2014
Subject:
Anti-War Activist Tomas Young dies at age 34.
As the nation marks Veterans Day, we
remember the Iraq War veteran Tomas Young, who died this week at the age of 34.
He enlisted in the military just after the Sept. 11 attacks. On April 4, 2004 —
his fifth day in Iraq — Young’s unit came under fire in the Baghdad
neighborhood of Sadr City. Young was shot and left
paralyzed, never to walk again. Young returned home and became an active member
of Iraq Veterans Against the War. He remained in and
out of the hospital for the rest of his life. Young was later featured in the
documentary "Body of War" directed by Ellen Spiro and the legendary
television broadcaster Phil Donahue.
Paralyzed Iraq War Vet Turned Peace
Activist Tomas Young Dies on Eve of Veterans Day
http://www.democracynow.org/2014/11/11/paralyzed_iraq_war_vet_turned_peace
_______________
D.
From Historians
Against War :
Date: 10 Novemberl 2014
Subject: HAW Notes 11/7/14: opposing US bombing campaign;
links to recent articles of interest.
http://www.historiansagainstwar.org/
Note:
This message was to be sent last Friday, Nov. 7 but did not go out due to problems
with the email server.
The
HAW Steering Committee has signed-on to a campaign by more than twenty national
peace and justice groups to oppose the current US bombing campaign in Iraq and
Syria. The joint statement (at http://winwithoutwar.org/alternatives-to-war)
poses a range of nonmilitary options for countering the growth of ISIS. It
urges people to contact members of Congress, preferably during the period
November 11-16 after a lame-duck session of Congress convenes.
Links
to Recent Articles of Interest
"US
Dilemma in Syria: Moderate Stronghold Falls to Al-Qaeda, Fighters Desert to
Extremists"
http://historynewsnetwork.org/article/157461
By Juan
Cole, History News Network, posted November 3
The
author teaches history at the University of Michigan.
"The Long, Shameful History of American Terrorism"
By Noam
Chomsky, In These Times, posted November 3
"Gaza:
How We Got There ... and the Prospects for Peace"
By William
R. Polk, History News Network, posted October 31
A
lengthy article rich in historical background
By Patrick
Cockburn, London Review of Books, posted October 24
"The
Importance of Being Exceptional: From Ancient Greece to Twenty-First Century
America"
By David
Bromwich, TomDispatch.com, posted October 23
The
author teaches English at Yale University.
"MI5 Spied on Leading British Historians for Decades, Secret
Files Reveal"
By Richard
Norton-Taylor, The Guardian, posted October 23
"The Legacy of WW1 Shell Shock for PTSD-TBI"
By Jerry
Lembcke, CounterPunch.org, posted October 22
The
author is a Vietnam veteran who teaches sociology at the College of the Holy
Cross.
"Western Imperialists Have Been Bombing Iraq for 100
Years"
By Nicholas
J. S. Davies, AlterNet.org, posted October 20
"Lessons
for Today's Social Movements from Gandhi's Salt March"
By Mark
Engler and Paul Engler, In
These Times, posted October 17
"Celebrating the Life of Peace Hero Fred Branfman"
By Jeremy
Kuzmarov, CounterPunch.org, posted October 1
The
author teaches history at the University of Tulsa.
The
above list was edited by Steve Gosch and Jim O'Brien
with thanks to Rosalyn Baxandall, Mim
Jackson, and Jerry Lembcke for suggesting articles
that are included.
__________________
E.
From
Daily Kos :
Date:
9 November 2014
Subject:
The Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Al From was one of the key
organizers of this anti-populist movement, and he lays out [in his new book] in
detail his multi-decade organizing strategy and his reasons for what he did....
In 2000...Clinton said of From, “It would be hard to
think of a single American citizen who, as a private citizen, has had a more
positive impact on the progress of American life in the last 25 years than Al
From.”...
The Man Who Made the Democratic
Party What It Is Today
If you're a political junkie you've
probably heard the name before. If you haven't, meet Al From:
__________________
F.
From
The Real News Network :
Date:
9 November 2014
Subject:
The Trans-Pacific Partnership.
There are two deals in the pipeline,
the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, and the Transatlantic Trade and
Investment Partnership, also known as TTIP. Many recent reports suggest a GOP-controlled
Senate is conducive to Obama's goal of wrapping up the delayed TPP and TTIP
talks, but according to Public Citizen's director of Global Trade Watch, Lori
Wallach, the opposite is true.
How
Will the GOP-Controlled Senate Affect Trade Deals?
In the second part of our series, we
look at how the new Republican majority will complicate Obama's efforts to move
forward on two trade deals, TPP and T-TIP.
__________________
G.
From
Democracy Now ! :
Date:
12 November 2014
Subject:
The Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Lt. Gen. Daniel P. Bolger, a retired
three-star U.S. general who helped command troops in Iraq and Afghanistan,
joins us to discuss his new book, "Why We Lost: A General’s Inside Account
of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars." Bolger writes: "I am a United
States Army general, and I lost the Global War on Terrorism. It’s like
Alcoholics Anonymous; step one is admitting you have a problem. Well, I have a
problem. So do my peers. And thanks to our problem, now all of America has a
problem, to wit: two lost campaigns and a war gone awry." Bolger is now
calling for a public inquiry along the lines of the 9/11 Commission to look
into why the two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have gone so poorly.
Why
We Lost: Retired U.S. General Calls for Public Inquiry into Failures of Iraq,
Afghan Wars
http://www.democracynow.org/2014/11/12/why_we_lost_retired_us_general
__________________
H.
From
Information Clearing House :
Date:
12 November 2014
Subject:
Organized Murder in Ukraine.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/
Video of “our side” in the Ukrainian
civil war carrying out part of the Ukrainian Defense Minister, Mikhail Koval’s, extermination plan.
Car with a mounted video camera
belonging to members of Ukrainian punitive nationalist battalion was caputred earlier this week by self-defense forces of
Donetsk People’s Republic. Part of the video shows Ukrainian radicals taking
several locals to a large hole in the ground in a wooded area, make locals get in
the hole and then shot them.
How Our People Do Their Extermination-Jobs in Ukraine
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article40184.htm
by Eric Zuesse
+
Secretary of
Defence about concentration camp for Eastern Ukraine
people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIohJfFrYSk
__________________
I.
From
Democracy Now ! :
Date:
October 2014
Subject:
The Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Democracy Now! has
documented scandals of police brutality across the country. Scroll through the
stories below to see our coverage of the killing of unarmed teenager Michael
Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and protests calling for the arrest of the officer
who shot him. In New York City we reported on the death of Eric Garner after
police placed him in a chokehold as he repeatedly told them, "I can’t breathe!"
The encounter was recorded by an onlooker using his smartphone.
We have also documented the killing of Kenneth Chamberlain Sr., a 68-year-old
Marine veteran shot by police inside his own home after he mistakenly set off
his LifeAid medical alert pendant. In 2011-2012 we
covered the police crackdown on the Occupy movement, and spoke to Scott Olsen,
who survived two tours in Iraq but nearly died when he was hit with a police
projectile at an Occupy Oakland protest. We also interview loved ones of police
victims, and feature conversations with advocates like Michelle Alexander,
author of the best-selling book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of
Colorblindness.
Police Brutality
