Marx V Marxists and other contradictions

A part of the Scottish people spoke Scots Gaelic in the past, and some still do. This language is related to the other Celtic languages of Brittany, Cornwall, Wales and Ireland. It was once also spoken by substantial numbers of Black Americans, as is recorded in a recent Counterpunch article where an eye-witness is quoted concerning the jazzman Dizzy Gillespie, thus: "Dizzy used to tell me tales of how the blacks near his home in Alabama and in the Carolinas had once spoken exclusively in Scots Gaelic.” Other Scots speak a language (“Broad Scots”) somewhat similar to English. The high point (c.1500) of the early literature in this language was the time of the “makars” (makers). These poets had a way of challenging each other to a contest called a “flyting”. The rivals had to compose their work on the spot and in the face of an opponent, who would then try to surpass the first one and dismiss his arguments in return, and so on. A famous example of this genre is “The Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedie”, being a competition between the poets William Dunbar and Walter Kennedy. When Clement Mokone proposed that the Johannesburg Communist University should discuss “dialectical materialism”, Dominic Tweedie proposed a flyting. Clement chose “Dialego” (John Hoffman) on “What is Dialectical Materialism” as his text, while Dominic has chosen “How the Marxists Buried Marx”, by Cyril Smith (see the links below for these two texts). This flyting will take place next Friday, July 14th, in the Women’s Jail, 1 Kotze Street, Constitution Hill at 17h00. Please come and join in. The town planners of Johannesburg seem to be nearly all white, of a certain age, and hostile to one another, but even more hostile to people they consider to be below their rank. Consequently their debates have been sterile for many years past. This circumstance has been a tragedy for those whose lives could have been relieved of burden, had the academics and professionals been concerned to illuminate rather than to obscure. See the link below for a rare article by Dr Glen Mills. It quotes the great John Turner, humane champion of the settling urban petty-bourgeoisie. The Communist University knows that Mills’ opponents are already sharpening knives to cut his article to pieces with. It would have been just the same had Mills quoted (contradicting Turner) Frederick Engels, the champion of the mobile urban proletariat. Such is the miserable, closed, static world of the Johannesburg planners. If one makes a move, the others rush to crush it. The Johannesburg YCL's study circle will meet at 11h00 on Sunday, July 9th, in the SATAWU offices, 13th floor, Old Mutual Building, 29 Kerk Street, between Harrison and Loveday to discuss excerpts from Lenin’s “Left-Wing Communism: an Infantile Disorder” Next week, presumably at the same time and place, our YCL will discuss Lenin’s 1923 “On Co-operation”. See the link below. Click on these links: Dialego, Chapter 2, What is Dialectical Materialism? John Hoffman, 1976 (4320 words) How the Marxists Buried Marx, Cyril Smith, 1998 (13629 words) Thinking out of the matchbox, Glen Mills, Business Day (1197 words) On Co-operation, Lenin, 1923 (2611 words)