[OPE] Success and failure

Masashi Ishii, 35 got the gold medal handed to him Tuesday in the men's 1,000-meter track time trial at the Beijing Paralympics, establishing a new world record (from Japan Times On-line, see photo). He went across the finish line in one minute and 8.771 seconds, two seconds faster than Czech Jiri Bouska who took silver.

Meanwhile Trotskyist Phil Hearse grumps in International Viewpoint:

"The Olympic Games celebrates not the ascent of a classless abstraction called ‘China’, but the rise of a vicious and corrupt ruling class that maintains its power by the ruthless use of violence and censorship – and where the state intrudes directly into people’s work and family lives on an Orwellian scale. I won’t be watching, I refuse to go to any pub that has it on a TV screen, I don’t care how many (actually how few) medals Britain wins and I’ve never been for a moment glad that the Olympics are coming to London in 2012." http://www.internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?article1512

Well, personally I wouldn't dismiss the honour of 1.3 billion Chinese in such a way, or deny the Brits their games. I did not catch much of the TV as such, but surely something has gone badly wrong in this argument. Surely you also have to admire, and be inspired by these healthy feats of human achievement and excellence. If you just hate the Olympics, you hate part of your own humanity, in fact a very essential part of it, your health and strength, which is so important in political life. Self-loathing doesn't get you anywhere, and then it's not surprising that the Trotskyists stay small. You don't get big by rewarding failure, you get big by rewarding achievement. I've had plenty people calling me handicapped over the years, but when I really want to go for gold, ain't nobody going to stop me. Not even a Fourth International.

In another article, Phil Hearse hangs out the sociologist, asking whether workingclass consciousness has collapsed http://www.internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?article1516 . Of course not, it's just that many workers were watching the Olympics. But if all you can say is that you won't be watching, well then what is there to talk about? In that case, the working class is just an inert theoretical object that fails to conform to the Trotskyist class struggle, instead of being living, breathing human beings trying to get stronger to tackle the challenges being faced. How do you expect to lead a revolutionary transformation of society with people who don't have the energy anymore to get out of bed in the morning? I may not be so very sporty, but I do know what's what. The truly orthodox Leninist would be quite aware of Lenin's concern with callisthenics (see e.g. Ronald W. Clark, Lenin: A Biography http://www.amazon.com/Lenin-Biography-Ronald-W-Clark/dp/B000J0H1T4/ref=sr_1_20?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1221087838&sr=1-20 ).

Jurriaan

Let me tell you about Buddy Joe
When he came down from Mexico
With his pockets full of gold
Have you something to declare
Are you sure there's nothing there
Cos if there is, don't say
you've not been told
Oh, Buddy Joe
What have they done with the gold
I don't really know
Well Buddy Joe searched all his life
Through Mexico, all the riversides
Not for the money, but for the gold
He needs to hold
Well Buddy Joe, proud as he was
Could not stand all the fuss
When they got to all his gold
He was ready to go
Oh, Buddy Joe
What have they done with the gold
I don't really know
Well you'll understand he didn't stand a chance
Everybody was shouting commands
When Buddy Joe split in a hurry
Soon he was ready to be burried
Oh Buddy Joe
What have they done with the gold
I don't really know

- Golden Earring, Buddy Joe

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