"Who to reach?" vs "What is our program?"

Max Sawicky sawicky at epinet.org
Thu Jun 11 11:27:30 PDT 1998



> Refreshing my ass. It was an obvious question to be asked as it was
> quite topical at the time. He was asked at the time that the DOMA was
> being signed by Prez. McMuffin and ENDA was going down in flames in
> the Congress. Is a person's right to work w/o discrimination really
> just more "gonadal" politics?

No. If you check my post you'll note an allusion to it.


>> Sounds like a privileged white guy
> talking.

Sounds ad hominem to me.


> > I think this program could be sold to those with
> > socially conservative views, including religious
> > people, I wish this is what more lefts would do, and
> > in my own little way this is what I try to make
> > happen. I do not think academic talk typified
> > by POMO but not absent from marxoid discussions
> > is helpful in this enterprise. Nor do I think
> > challenging peoples' basic views on matters
> > secondary to class, like gay marriage or
> > late-term abortion, is a helpful prerequisite
> > to building a class-based movement.
>
> I don't think demeaning the rights and struggles of others is very
> effective either. Nader was downright snide and sneering in his
> dismissal. This was not the only issue he took this attitude towards.

I haven't demeaned anyone, including those like yourself who cannot argue without reference to the other person, rather than his/her ideas.

I doubt Nader did either, though I wasn't there. A view about what's important and what is less important is not the same as demeaning persons who hold a contrary view. Unfortunately people take any effort at prioritization personally. That's ID politics in a nutshell.

I don't know what other issues you're referring to. Nader's long suit is not personability.


>
> Don't get me wrong, I'm not a big fan of identify politics either, but
> ENDA was hardly just more "gonadal politics". People should have the
> right to work w/o their bedroom habits inspected.

Don't they already, with the exception of the US Armed Forces?

Whitefolks



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