[Buddha-l] solitary confinement

[curt]

To be fair to all of the fine Buddhists out there, Debs was working 
within a somewhat different theoretical framework. Debs accepted (and 
not without good reason, in my opinion) a "class struggle" analysis of 
human society. If one uses such an analysis the fundamental question is 
always "which side are you on?". While such a viewpoint probably sounds 
anathema to most Buddhists, it is the only workable perspective if one 
wants to organize labor unions (which was what Debs was mostly 
interested in). As individuals, workers have virtually no power 
whatsoever, but united into a union they can make their presence felt, 
to say the least. If you look into it, its really kind of interesting to 
realize that unions set out to teach people to identify their own 
interests with those of others (their fellow workers). But this is not 
done as an abstract exercise in consciousness raising - and so there is 
the additional factor or recognizing that there are those whose 
interests conflict with yours (those dirty Capitalists).

Capitalists also want workers to see their own interests as being 
identified with that of the interests of others. But, rather perversely, 
the capitalists want workers to identify with ... the capitalists! And 
the capitalists further desire that the workers should see each other as 
competitors and potential enemies. Socialists propose something much 
more reasonable - that workers should find common cause with each other 
- and view those who exploit them as their enemies.

The underlying idea behind Debs statements concerning criminals and 
prisoners is that so long as the capitalists are in charge then it is 
more important to identify with and make common cause with "criminals" 
and prisoners, because they are (except for the occasional Enron 
executive) one's fellow workers - and, therefore, one's proper allies. 
It is the bosses who seek to divide the workers against each other - and 
so long as workers are divided they will be slaves. Etc.

The reason why this is important is because Debs, although extremely 
idealistic (even for a socialist) was not coming from a perspective that 
ruled out, in principle, the very idea of imprisonment and other forms 
of punishment for wrongdoers. In fact a labor union must have a certain 
amount of internal discipline, with rules, leaders, decision making 
bodies, and ways of implementing decisions (such as, for instance, going 
on strike). This inevitably involves coercion and/or the threat of 
coercion (like, for instance, picket lines) - as unpleasant as that 
sounds (and, in fact, is).

Bottom line: Deb's apparent high-mindedness is not quite as sweeping as 
the quote, all by itself, might seem to imply.

- Curt

Gad Horowitz wrote:
> Decades and decades of experience with prisons shows that they are more part
> of the problem than part of the solution.  Crime and prison arise in
> dependence on one another.  Prison, no matter what the lip service paid to
> "correction" i s on the whole not at all conducive to change for the better
> of the human beings caged therein like rats.  Vengeance and self
> righteousness is the name of the game.  Just suggest for a moment the
> possibility of movement towards abolition and all those who have not sinned
> start frothing at the mouth about serial killers and pedophiles.  The fact
> that many many prisoners are no more violent than you all is hardly
> mentioned.
> My question is:  When Debs says:  While there is a criminal element I am of
> it;While there is a soul in prison I am not free--is he not manifesting a
> better understanding of emptiness and codependent arising than many of you
> fine Buddhists?
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Dh. Suvarnaprabha" <suvanna at sfbuddhistcenter.org>
> To: <buddha-l at mailman.swcp.com>
> Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2006 11:36 AM
> Subject: [Buddha-l] solitary confinement
>
>
>   
>>> ...solitary......that's cruel (if common rather than unusual) punishment.
>>>       
>> It does not have a chance of any shade of reformation.
>>
>> I think being solitary does have some potential for reformation if they at
>> least could have some quality reading material!
>> http://users.aristotle.net/~anna/news/nytart.html
>> Cheers, Suvarnnaprabha (who teaches med. at the county jail and has been
>> lurking around here for a while...)
>>
>> :   :   :
>> Suvarnaprabha (AKA Suvanna)
>> Director, San Francisco Buddhist Center
>> Friends of the Western Buddhist Order
>> Web: http://www.sfbuddhistcenter.org
>>
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