Like Doug, I had the false hope that this whole business had passed (I even took Carrol’s “Oops” and Rakesh’s shrug as tacit apologies, the best I could imagine issuing from such a prickly pair). I’ve come to respect greatly both Rakesh and Carrol in my time on this list, and it truly is distressing to hear crap like Rakesh’s reference to “Carrol’s prozac influenced comments,” not to mention the various slurs hurled at Rakesh (racist, nazi, etc). I fully realize that it’s nearly impossible to remain dispassionate when discussing extremely touchy subjects (even though, as Nathan pointed out, Malcolm X has been dead a long time and therefore could really care). C’mon boys—we can do better than that.
And as Nathan also points out, for us lurkers and demi-lurkers, the whole business is very distressing. It’s painfully obvious that the various positions about Malcolm X expressed in this debate seem to serve as stand-ins for brands of politics that some here see as causing the evisceration, etc., of the left. But for those of us who are simply trying to get a handle on our own ideas and a better acquaintance with left trends of thought and activism, this whole debate, with its viscousness and musty sectarian intolerance, really is scary in all the ways that Nathan describes. If it weren’t for that aspect of the debate, I’d be extremely grateful to Rakesh for broaching the issue, because several replies, and Angela’s in particular, articulate my own fears and concerns about what for a lack of a better term yet I’ll still call ID politics. And, as Angela also pointed out, it could be that this is indeed a generationally devisive issue, because of the great difference in the formative experiences of those of us who came of age politically in the 80s and the 90s.
Anyway, I’m pretty sure that we all agree that Doug shouldn’t have to play Den Mom (unless it gives him role-playing pleasure). I can certainly appreciate a well-turned insult as well as the next cybergeek, but plain old visciousness is simply tooo despressing. I look forward to seeing this debate move in a more progressive direction (maybe I’ll eventually have something to say myself).
--Ingrid
PS: Ken, you're right perhaps that more of us should have spoken out when Lou "outed" you and heaped viscious accusations at you (I meant to, but was too busy just then) although I do seem to recall that you did have at least one or two defenders.