Gary MacLennan wrote:'' You would all be familiar with the story of the Poets' exclusion from Plato's Republic...''
Why would I be familiar with this story? I'm not asking why should I be familiar with it, but why would I? I have a vague awareness of Plato the ancient Greek philosopher; I am familiar with Plato the character in the American comic strip "Beetle Bailey".
L. Proyect has criticized some people for using ''Marxist jargon". I think there can be many forms of jargon,and as long as the writer and the reader have the same definition, or attitude, or experience of them, they can communicate. They may disagree, but at least they know what they're disagreeing about.
But what happens when definitions, attitudes, experiences aren't similar? A phrase like New Economic Policy or a good story to illustrate a point about attitudes toward art become jargon, useful shorthand for those on the inside, bewildering(or alienating} for everyone else.
Marxists often ask: How can we get workers to hear our ideas? Its an important question, but maybe a little time could be spent on :What do we say once we've got their attention.
Actually, Gary's Plato reference wasn't that bad, since he explained why the Poets weren't allowed in Plato's Republic. A lot of people wouldn't have bothered, which is sort of my point.
Yours for the works, Craig Olson
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