“Everything must change so that everything can stay the same”
Prince Tancredi Falconeri’s observation in Giuseppe di Lampedusa’s “The Leopard”
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“I think I am still a conservative, but I believe that a new set of plans is essential to preserve the conservative order of things. The trouble is that most of our business and professional friends do not understand that the old methods will not serve. New arrangements are necessary to save the economic structure. I think it is not radical, certainly not revolutionary, to change the methods of business leadership and the relations both with employees and with customers . . . the methods you and your associates are inaugurating are necessary in order to retain the existing industrial order.”
From Chicago lawyer Charles Leroy Brown’s letter to NRA (National Recovery Administration) director Donald Richberg
“Everything must change so that everything can stay the same.”
Daag! There’s some twisted Orwellian logic in that little phrase isn’t there.
Reminds me of what happenned when the “People’s Power” movement in the Phillapines ousted Ferdinand Marcos, or more recently the toppling of Mubarek in Egypt.
If we’re not careful, I can foresee it also being the catch phrase of the imperialist bourgeoisie should the OWS movement catch fire nationally but be worn down by a thousand cuts from reformism.
This Prince Falconeri is like some post-Machiavellian genius.
Comment by Karl Friedrich — October 13, 2011 @ 9:50 pm
The only thing I agree with is that the way we condvct business must change.
It goes way beyond changing the dynamics of business and is complicated with so many suggestions for a fix and radical movements who are in opposition to the American capitalist system, but are not on the same page when it comes to how to achieve reforms.
My position has always been that we need to scrap the system we have and move to a more socialist type model.
This can be accomplished either by anarchy and takeover, or by infiltration of Marxists running for Congress or President disguised as Independents.
These are just ideas I’m throwing out.
My position also has always been first and foremost, the people who have suffered the most under our nation’s policies.
This is more evident now then it ever was because the recession (DEPRESSION) has added millions more Americans to the suffering list.
These citizens are victims of circumstances they never asked for or deserved.
I hope that we as Marxists and the revolutionary visionaries that we are, can group together and in great discussion mode put together a cohesive plan that will lead to a reformed system that Marx would be proud of.
I don’t know how much longer people can continue to suffer without all hell breaking loose.
Comment by Deborah Jeffries — October 14, 2011 @ 3:45 am
Giuseppe Lampedusa was writing about the re-shuffling of the Italian peninsula in the 1860s. He knew what he was talking about. When he died in 1957 he was still the Duke of Palma. When Luchino Visconti made the movie of the novel in1963–a masterpiece–he left the key sentence in the dialogue. Visconti also knew what he was talking about. He was a Communist and also the Count of Lonate Pozzolo.
Comment by Peter Byrne — October 14, 2011 @ 8:27 am
Yes, the film is excellent, with a great performance by Burt Lancaster as the Prince.
Comment by Richard Estes — October 14, 2011 @ 6:50 pm