> Alex, this sounds eerily similar to the stuff that Ken Lawrence was
> taunting you with a few months ago: that is, that you were not living up to
> his "brave" example, that you were "sniveller" yourself; in essence, that
> you weren't doing things the way he thought they should be done. Now you
> are projecting your expectations onto the masses. I found it pretty
> repellant on him, and I don't think it looks very good on you either.
This is baloney. I never offered myself as anyone's exemplar. I defended radical activism (especially my own, which Alex had traduced entirely from ignorance) against Alex's attacks and smears, which preceded any comment of mine on the subject, and I ridiculed Alex's whining that no worthwhile political activity was possible in his community. The specific suggestions I offered to Alex required no courage and no irrevocable commitment, but even those were rejected as both onerous and wasteful. Eric may have regarded Alex's broadside attacks on movement activists as valid, and his political defense of abstention from mass struggle, but if he does, he should say so forthrightly instead of hurling a cowardly and backhanded provocation. If he does not, he owes the list a retraction.
Ken Lawrence