To the Editor:

In a previous letter I discussed how "Conservatism" is a pro-employer ideology that aims to lower the standard of living of all employees and promote ideologies which justify exploitation and the subordination of working people to their bosses.

It's important to understand what this means. Books and articles written by "conservative" propagandists, funded by corporate think-tanks and foundations, are "Public Relations", pure and simple. No matter how many footnotes they may contain, they are not real research. Since they set out, not to consider all evidence and question their own biases, but to write pro-employer propaganda, they can in principle never discover the truth.

"Conservative" pseudo-scholars -- like Terry Eastland, who spoke here recently -- are like the chemists with Ph.Ds who work for tobacco companies. Their academic degrees are window-dressing, to dupe the unwary reader -- to make it easier for them to lie for their corporate masters. Therefore, no one should even read them -- do you read the "research" put out by tobacco companies "proving" that smoking doesn't contribute to cancer? -- except for the purpose of exposing them. It's vital to be clear about this.

In my last letter I exposed the "conservatives'" attacks on Big Government, Education, Affirmative Action, and the Minimum Wage. Here I consider a few more issues beloved by "conservative" mouthpieces for business interests.

• Attack feminism. The feminist movement threatens to push up the cost of labor, because women have historically been a source of underpaid labor. "Conservatives" also offer women as another scapegoat for the anger men feel at economic insecurity, for which corporations are really responsible.
  Sexism is the oldest form of exploitation; every fascist, repressive, exploitative society in which workers are ground down pushes sexism against women. Our "conservative" Ayatollahs, like their brothers, the religious fundamentalists whether Christian, Islamic, Jewish, or Hindu, push sexism as a part of pushing class exploitation of all workers. They attack homosexuals for the same reason -- scapegoating, and defense of "traditional" -- meaning, exploitative -- values.
• Oppose abortion rights. This supports authoritarian, anti-worker groups like the various Church hierarchies. Opposing abortion justifies not giving women important health-care benefits (stripped of religious mumbo-jumbo, abortion is a women's health care issue); and makes exploitative "Conservatives" and their corporate paymasters appear, to the naive, to be concerned about "human rights."
• Attack immigrants. Immigrants have always been prized as cheap labor. None of the "Conservatives" really want to stop immigration -- that would raise the price of labor. What they do want is for immigrants to have as few rights (e.g. to unionize) as possible; as few benefits (which raise the cost of labor) as possible; and to be used as a scapegoat, like other "minorities", for the lower standard of living US citizens are suffering. While "Conservatives" try to get whites, blacks and latinos to blame each other for their lower living standard, they would like us all to unite as citizens and blame immigrants! Then their corporate bosses would come out smelling like a rose!
• "Political correctness." This term shows the totalitarian nature of our "freedom-loving Conservatives." They term "p.c." not only ideas -- like Marxism -- that promote employee interests, but also any ideas that contradict, however weakly, exploitative corporate interests, such as those above.
• Anti-Communism. Virtually all conservatives began as anti-Communists. Why do corporations hate communist ideology? Communism stands for getting rid of exploiters and employers altogether, and putting an end to the profit system which dooms most of us to the "tender mercies" of the corporate bosses!
• "Freedom" is a word never far from "conservatives'" lips. Want to see what the "Conservatives'" devotion to freedom is really worth? Ask how many left-wing magazines, speakers, and organizations these same corporate foundations fund. What "freedom" means to "conservatives" is only this: "freedom to exploit workers."

Closer to home, take a look at The Montclarion. Do its "conservative" editors strive for a "balance" between columnists who defend workers' and students' rights, and those of the "Conservatives," who promote corporate interests? Forget it! For "Conservatives", freedom -- including freedom of the press -- is for themselves, and their bosses, the corporate elite, period. The rest of us only have the "freedom" to believe what they say; do what we're told; and shut up!

My next letter will examine Affirmative Action and expose the racism behind "Conservatives'" attack on it.

Grover Furr

English Department

Back to the first letter in this series; ahead to the analysis of "conservatives'" attack on Affirmative Action; or to my Politics and Social Issues Page, Table of Contents.