race & religion

[Max Sawicky]

> Dear Mad Max,
> What is sterile, narrow and overly personal (i.e., charismatic in the
> Weberian sense) is the reduction of the autonomous activities of the
> working class and oppressed to an electoral campaign in the service of a
> demagogue with quasi- dictatorial control over the aims and contents of
> that campaign.  No wonder you are not against religion; your idea of
> politics is basically religious. The beginning of all criticism is indeed
> the criticism of religion.
> best, rakesh

Dear Rowdy Rakesh,

The Jackson campaign elevated the goals of the working
class and opressed like few things in recent memory.

The criticism of the undemocratic nature of the Jackson
campaign is long-standing, not least among his supporters,
and is beside the point.  All presidential campaigns in
the two major parties entail such features, so you are
criticizing Jackson for not fitting your vision of an
alternative political party.  When no such party is in
view, campaigns like Jackson's merit support.

Even for someone who was star-struck with Jackson and acted
like an uncritical groupie, the description of "religious"
for such a posture points up the reductionism in your
characterization of religion.  For criticism of religion
to be illuminating, it must grapple with the true item in
all its profundity, and you've missed it by a country mile.

Regards,

Max

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"God cannot be grasped by the mind.
If he could be grasped, he would not be God."

-- Evagrius of Pontus (Egypt, AD 345-399)

    [quoted in Joy of Sects]