[Anarchafeminists] May2nd Fem Manifesto Fwd: Family / Sex Work etc

[Mark Barrett]

Hi Everyone

Some might be interested in exchange below.

Hopefully many people will attend the May2nd event (the day after
coming to Meltdown!) see, for more information
http://www.counterfire.org/index.php/theory/133-counterforum/4676-public-event-a-feminist-manifesto-for-the-21st-century
and then we may even get some extra feminist revolutionary campers for
Parliament Square..

Cheers

Mark

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Hi Mark, sorry I've taken so long to get back to you. Was on holiday
when you wrote and it got stuck in a backlog. I tend to agree with you
about sex work _ of course people have rights but is it what people
should have to do in an unalienated and free society? Should our
highest aspiration be the unionisation of prostitutes or is there (as
Engels said ) the need for a society where women -and men for that
matter - don't need to sell their bodies? And you're right that the
privatised family is at the centre of these questions.

We're having another feminist manifesto meeting on Sunday 2nd May 5pm
at SOAS room G2 if you're interested. You're very welcome.

best,

Lindsey

________________________________
Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 21:32:03 +0100
Subject: Family
From: marknbarrett at googlemail.com
To: Lindsey German

Dear Lindsey

Just a quick note to follow our earlier exchange via Chris Knight, by
saying that personally I am ambivalent about sex work.

On the one hand people should be protected as workers, while on the
other for me the whole sex and porn world, like environmental
degradation and cruelty in general are all signs that patriarchy and
the moral dead end capitalist mode of production it happily co-exists
with still exists, its salient features being the objectification and
commodification of the natural world in general for the benefit of the
powerful few and to the disadvantage of the weak and those without the
power of arms / money /access to the corridors of power at their
disposal. The sex industry - like all the industries based on
exploitative power relations - should be resisted, but at the same
time its workers - like mother nature as a whole- protected.

Is that too contradictory? I am still trying to work this out, I find
the issue immensely difficult - rather as with abortion. Perhaps the
two strands relate to the need for regulation and reform, but also at
the same time social revolution otherwise we end up with at best only
protection but no paradigmatic liberation. Which is why, for me the
aim of a historic break with the privatised family - interestingly
students at the secondary school where I work instinctively understand
this point when I broach it with them - is by far the most interesting
and potentially pivotal prospect.

Interested to know where you are at with the Manifesto project, and
looking forward to being able to assist you in some way. Please do
keep me posted...


Best wishes

Mark
www.meltodown.uk.net
Watch this nice video about Election
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X92f7H1vrJU
And Bring Pop Up Tents!!