Heat and Light... Fear of Consciousness Raising?

[Carrol Cox]

Maggie writes:
> 
> one more reason for recognizing and encouraging organizations by gender, race,
> ethnicity, etc. is the ability of, and need for, groups to raise their own
> consciousness.

I keep coming back to this sentence, with the following question in mind:

	Is this potential for consciousness-raising *precisely* what some
fear? Could this fear help explain the intensity of some reactions on this
list to the mere calling of a discussion group that does not recognize the
right of university intellectuals (*some* university intellectuals are
also political intellectuals, but only some) to be consulted on all
political questions?

	Some questioning of independent organization of oppressed groups
seems politically based, and though I believe wrong, can be argued with.
But too much of it seems to totally abstracted from any political (as
opposed to merely academic) thought or experience.

Carrol