Q&A with Peter McLaren: discussing the Democratic presidential nominees

Peter McLaren is a professor at the Attallah College of Educational Studies and spoke to The Panther about the democratic presidential primary and thoughts on President Donald Trump. Panther Archives

At first glance, professor Peter McLaren looks like a wise man with fascinating stories to tell. His shoulder length white hair, tattoos and John Lennon-esque shades add to an ever-growing curiosity many people have about him. A declared revolutionary Marxist who met with the likes of Che Guevara’s daughter and was named one of the most dangerous professors during his tenure at the University of California, Los Angeles, McLaren’s presence as a distinguished professor in critical studies at Chapman may be surprising to some. But for those who have engaged with his work, McLaren’s unique take on issues from climate change to the structure of the U.S. government is full of challenging the status quo.

The Panther sat down with McLaren to get his take on the Democratic presidential primary, his thoughts on President Donald Trump and what he thinks is the U.S.’s best way forward.

Q: Can you share your thoughts on Trump and his current administration?

A: Trump is clearly infected by the ideological order of the alt-Right and he is unable to grasp the significance of the environmental crisis facing us today or simply doesn’t care. He is a repugnant human being, a whining, narcissistic man-child who is ruling the U.S. through his temper tantrums. Shame on all those Republicans who support him, who gloat in the political and moral chaos Trump has brought, who allow him to channel their hate towards women, towards immigrants, toward Muslims, toward people of color. Trump is not draining the swamp, he is making the swamp more putrid and toxic. His character and his policies have emboldened the worst aspects of ourselves. Heated rhetoric from Trump has sparked a rise in hate crimes, according to some experts.

We are moving into a time that is dangerous. There is a difference between an argument and an opinion. There are so many who don’t want to hear an explanation, who don’t want to study logic. We need to put the emphasis on political agency.

Q: Who would you like to see win the Democratic Presidential primaries?

A: Under any other Democrat except Sanders, the interests of the workers will of necessity be secondary to the interests of capital. Capital cannot exist today without exploiting workers, taking away public money allotted to help them and throw it to the private sphere. In fact, the U.S. already has a system of socialism in place, but is socialism for the capitalist class. Corporate entities have become too big to fail and we bail out the banks, and large corporations – it is the capitalists who have the safety net today – not the workers. Sanders has the will to reverse this situation. It won’t be easy to take on the capitalist class, but Bernie is our best hope to do this.

The more moderate candidates approach policy in a milder form – it would be like putting a Band-Aid on a major wound. The other candidates would be business as usual, they all want to take small steps. The question is, can we afford to live in a world of small steps?

Q: Trump was recently impeached in the House, but acquitted by the Senate. What impact, if any, do you think it’ll have on the 2020 election?

A: It’s hard to sat exactly what’s going to happen. But I truly think that the only candidate who will be able to beat Trump is Bernie Sanders. He has the youth support unlike any candidate. I would have liked to see Warren too. Right now, Trump Is exerting willfully demonic vengeance against those he deems responsible for impeachment. But I think there are reasons for impeachment almost every month. His threats, direct and indirect, intimidation of witnesses. His supporters take it to heart, they think that Trump is talking to them.

Can we afford to live in a world of small steps?

-Peter McLaren

Q: For students who may not be aware of how capitalism works in the U.S., can you give your take on the political structure and how it’s implemented in this country? Do you think capitalism is the best system for the U.S.?

A: The underlying structural conditions that generate capitalist crisis have to do with over accumulation and the tendency to stagnation, that is, stagnating wages resulting from the exploitation of human labor. Since about 1973, wage growth has failed to keep pace with rising productivity, except perhaps during the internet boom of 1998 to 2000.

The profit boom we have been enjoying for decades has not been distributed as compensation and wages to workers. Instead, corporations have invested their enormous profits in buying back their own stocks and purchasing labor saving technology. Capitalism, hungry to augment value, seeks out new investment opportunities in today’s global police state that are characterized by increased social control and repression. At the same time, we are being threatened by an ecological crisis of sustainability of unrivaled proportions. There is no alternative to building socialism – to everyone equally owning the factors of production – especially in the face of the current raft of economic, social, political and geopolitical crises and environmental calamities and degradations.

Q: Lastly, what do you think the U.S. needs to do to move beyond our current politically contentious environment?

A: We need an ecopolitics that enables us to struggle against the integration of all modes of domination — racial, sexual, gender, class — into human life. We need to spend more university time developing theories of social organization that takes as its point of departure the idea that the responsibility for the means of economic production, distribution and exchange should be collectively shared and regulated by the entire community.

We also need to move away from the two party system, it’s unworkable. There are ways of reorganizing the country to meet the basic needs of the population. We need a paradigm shift; and that can be frightening to many people.