Dear Adrian
One of the more bizarre aspects of my job is how the trans students seek me out and want long conversations about philosophy and politics.
I currently have a trans woman student who is very interested in left-wing politics. Most of the stuff they were showing me was Trot; emotional, immature guff. But through some miracle I have been able to ween them away from this into more wholesome areas. Luckily it wasn’t too difficult to do because it is so easy to wreck their narrative about the Uyghur genocide. The student actually came to apologise to me for even thinking that there had been a genocide. They do their own research and end up agreeing with me……
Anyway the upshot of this is that the student is now totally in love with Chinese Communism, wants endless stuff about Mao, the Cultural Revolution, Mao and Stalin, Deng Xaoping ……and I don’t know where to send them!
We sign in our contract that we will not discuss our political views with our students. I am looking for good solid Marxist reading material for them which isn’t obviously Marxist! Does such a thing exist?
The other issue is that Marxists tend to be very socially conservative and this student is still a bit if a snowflake and likely to be triggered if anyone says anything even slightly trans-critical. One day they will discover that the Tavistock centre is built on Fascist principles….. but hopefully not too soon.
Dear Gillian
This is an interesting issue. Marx and Engels view the family as the basis of society. Individuals emerge from the family into broader collectives such as class, ethnicity, religion, culture and society, etc. The question is – what constitutes a family? A number on the left take the view that the answer is purely biological in nature. A man and woman produces a child, etc.
On the surface it is a powerful argumrnt and it certainly cannot be dialectically ignored – by either side of the debate. On the other hand, society (and social norms) are not merely biological but are also class constructed. Gender assumption includes not only a biological role – but an entire raft of constructed and normalised realities that are pure fabrication. This house of cards is built upon biological role.
But here’s the thing – the trans movement is knocking down this fabricated house of cards and in that respect is Revolutionary. It is Revolutionary because these constructs are Bourgeois and are used to cement capitalist society in place. Reaction left and right complicates this matter. The problem is that trans ideology inevitably hits the harsh reality of biological function – a reality that attracts the greatest reaction. Of course, science can and does (to a certain degree) address this issue in a manner that was not possible during the lifetime of Marx and Engels – although there is a strong argument that both advocated the complete destruction of Bourgeois norms and values – and I would agree. Trans is not new – it just seems new due to its widespread emergence and toleration within Bourgeois society.
An equally important issue is that the many cultures of the world have viewed gender in very different and in a much more fluid manner than the West. China, for instance, with men holding hands and women choosing multiple partners (of either sex) is a very freeing experience once the barrier of Western racial discrimination is seen beyond. Things are just not viewed in the usual dualistic scense. Engels lived with two Irish women (sisters) he met in his Manchester factory. Marx, it is said, sired a son with his maid. The idea of trans frees the mind from Bourgeois oppression – whilst science will see this form of Revolution through to the end.
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 