The Suicide of New Left Review (posted by Doug Henwood to LBO-Talk)

kenneth.mackendrick at utoronto.ca kenneth.mackendrick at utoronto.ca
Thu May 4 06:40:56 PDT 2000


On Thu, 04 May 2000 06:03:38 -0700 Michael Pugliese <debsian at pacbell.net> wrote:

[Regarding Doug] His crusade on behalf of the execrable Zizek ...

Doug, do you have any possible explanation why people are loosing their vision / patience / solidarity [??] because of your tacit interest in a Lacanian social theorist? It seems to be that the very effort to read a particular theorist has lead to a widespread break in party ranks. The issues used to be, how might we improve the lot of the majority of the population of the planet, what about food distribution, unionization, the critique of transnational capitalism. Now, the more relevant question seems to be: have you read Zizek? Has this every happened before? A theorists considered such a threat to a political organization that anyone who even touches on his work is deemed suspect?

Pretty soon we'll be a beleaguered bunch, hiding our Zizek essays between copies of Brecht, Lukacs or Lenin (we'll have to wait and see about Bloch and Merleau-Ponty and Agnes Heller). Theorists on the run, darting from library to library... copying essays in tattered form and scuffing them between Adorno and Althusser. Psss... have you see in? His new book on Lynch. It's been banned. It fills your mind with complications, sharpens the senses and engages the critical mind. No wonder they hate it! Shh... they're coming. Quick, into the cellar!!! Bring Kant.

Shouldn't someone be embarrassed about this? ken



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