Liza
Micah Timothy Holmquist wrote:
>
> I can not speak for the left to any large degree than what exists in Ann
> Arbor and to a lesser extent Detroit. But one thing that I have noticed
> is that leftists/activists here sure can party when at parties. But when
> it comes to meetings they tend to be as boring as cab be.
>
> Not sure what to make of this. Has anybody else noticed anything like
> this?
>
> Micah
>
> ++++ stop the execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal ++++
> ++++ if you agree copy these 3 sentences in your own sig ++++
> ++++ see: http://www.xs4all.nl/~tank/spg-l/sigaction.htm ++++
>
> On Tue, 5 Jan 1999, Liza Featherstone wrote:
>
> > as for the hair-shirt thread, I completely agree that the left has a big problem
> > with fun -- food, buying stuff, sex, movies, parties, clothes, making things look
> > nice, whatever. I liked the BE piece. I also think, happily, this whole
> > puritanical ethos is dying out and that the left is gradually (very gradually)
> > loosening up a bit and developing more helpful analyses of pleasure and um,
> > having a little more fun. I attribute this to a couple of things: changes in
> > feminism (the "pro-sex" folks basically won the very bitter sex wars over
> > pornography and other stuff, and in general feminism has become a lot more
> > culturally diverse which has helped it to shed much or mostof its anti-sex and
> > mandatory bad dressing baggage); cultural studies in academia -- much
> > theorizing about the pleasures of pop culture, etc; more perpsectives from cultures
> > which unlike Anglo-Americans, don't necessarily equate deprivation and
> > sacrifice with virtue. tho of course the hair-shirt thing still exists -- just look at
> > all the hardcore vegetarians and vegans that still populate campus progressive
> > circles ( which has often seemed to me like middle-class girl food anxiety
> > masquerading as politics).
> >
> > one thing I thought was odd about the BE piece was the notion that the right is
> > better on fun. doesn't everyone think the party's elsewhere? I think one of the
> > things the right hate even about right-wing liberals like Clinton is that they
> > seem to have too much fun. I mean, sure the Christian right can throw a good
> > revival meeting, but in terms of what they actually believe about fun (sex for
> > instance), you couldn't ask for a colder shower. the anti-fun sentiment on the left
> > is at least contested, ambiguous, and a matter usually more of innuendo and
> > implication than Biblical text.
> >
> > Liza
> >