I am responding to Barry Stollers post regarding exclusive relationships, I am posting anew in the belief that the issue is one of importance to our socialist future and must be discussed by socialists and understood by liberals.The post which Barry examined was a passionate statement made with the damning of privilege in mind. Barry has alerted me to the possibility that I had over emphasised one line in "family, private property and the state" at the expense of the full image. This may be the case and I accept the point made by Barry.
I wish now to discuss the reason for that rejection of exclusive love ties between family and pairs, for I believe it is potentially the root of inegalitarian privilege seeking - in short; a crack in our socialist future.
It is understood that economic equality is paramount and that social ownership of the means of production, democratic process and job rotation are the cornerstones. But - even in so fine a socialist brotherhood there may lie the festering poison of privilege, where one person favors another emotionally they may attempt to favor them economically - what checks do we have against this? Where do we as a society recognise that those bestowed with emotional devotion may also be bestowed with privileges!
It is vital, I am sure Barry knows, that the raising of children be engaged as a social process. Parents who wish to see their offspring gain more than others are not acting in the interest of a socialist society. Put bluntly comrades - a parent who seeks to have their offspring gain privilege over others is against the revolution! The fabric of socially owned facilities must be tied strongly so that groups of people do not win for themselves greater access than is their due under the maxim 'from each according to their ability to each according to their need'. Ideally a parent would think of the needs of a strangers child as they would their own. Indeed a parent can have no more say in the raising of their child than can the society a whole - to do so is to be in a position of privilege, to do so is to deny others.
In pair bonding the same threat exists - either partner cannot hold a greater sway over, nor grant a greater economic benefit to the other without assuming the mantle of privilege. How do we check against this in socialism? This, Barry, was why I appealed to a youth to ceaselessly serve the revolution - to remain at all times alert to creeping social division - however innocent may seem its source!
Matters such as these may seem to be of little consequence when facing the massive inequality of the capital offensive but I believe we ignore them at our peril - for privilege granted between members of society exclusive of the totality transforms into inequality and social division - this works to destroy our socialist future. This is true of any cracks, such as Nikhil Jaikumars proposal of a scientific or artistic elite presiding over the new proletariat! Is it not understood that the distinction of being the proletariat, as a second class, is that which socialism seeks to make null and void!!?
