>In message <199901090053.TAA26693 at bonjour.cc.columbia.edu>, Louis
>Proyect <lnp3 at panix.com> writes
>
>>Maybe it is because you are totally clueless about black people.
>
>Just what is Louis' problem with Rakesh? I guess I would be foolish to
>get involved having felt the rough side of Louis' tongue myself on a few
>occasions ... so to speak.
>
>But Louis' desire to defend the reputation of Malcolm X at all costs,
>and the honour of black people against all criticism seems a bit self-
>conscious to me.
>
>Rakesh knows his stuff, and has some interesting things to say about
>real debates within black politics. But to Louis this is all sacrilege,
>'lunacy' and something that must be shouted down at all costs.
>
>I don't see why Louis becomes so intemperate when it comes to Rakesh.
>(I seem to remember that Louis was similarly outraged on another list
>when a contributor of American Indian descent questioned Louis'
>uncritical lionisation of the American Indian Movement.)
>
>Louis seems particularly angered that Rakesh likes to give some
>citations and references for what he says. For myself, I'm more than
>grateful and often follow up Rakesh's voluminous reading, with
>gratitude.
As am I. I wrote Louis privately about this, but he won't give an inch, so I'll say this openly. That kind of insult has no place here.
Lou somehow claims that my politics are identical to Rakesh's, which isn't true, as Rakesh could quickly tell you. In fact, I'm not sure where I stand on these issues - it's all very complicated, and I don't share Lou's almost religious certainty about it. Rakesh's position is something to take seriously, not something to piss on with personal attacks. One of the reasons I started this list was to have just thisw sort of discussion.
And the idea that Rakesh is "totally clueless about black people" is ludicrously false. Rakesh doesn't share Lou's view of racial politics, which isn't a sin or a crime. All the posters to this list, and I imagine almost all the members, share a dedication to creating a nonracist, nonexploitative society. We may differ on how to get there - and how and whether "nationalism" contributes to the process is a very serious matter. But we have to grant each other some degree of good faith. Lou, you may have left the SWP behind, but you haven't left the sectarian temperament with it. People who disagree with you aren't the enemy.
Sorry for the incoherent nature of this, but I have a plane to catch.
Doug