> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
> [mailto:owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com]On Behalf Of Doug Henwood
> >"But here's the twist. [Reformist Social-Democratic Leftist Nelson]
> >Lichtenstein is part of a perfectly Rortyite reformist Campaign for
> >a Living Wage at the University of Virginia. This campaign is not
> >about ending sexism, racism, or homophobia, but about getting
> >janitorial staff a few extra bucks an hour. Who are its volunteers?
> >Primarily, says Lichtenstein, faculty and graduate students from the
> >pomo literature and theory crowd.
>
> You never know where these activists will pop up, do you?
It was always my experience as well that theory-heads were often good core activists as well; my frustration was that in the practical field, they went was erudite theory in the classroom to an almost atheoretical "just do it" activism with relatively little sophistication on discussions of tactics and strategy. In this they paralleled Foucault in his later years, where he was often a good activist but was often engaged without much critical distance - his support for the Iranian revolution being one classic example of his misguided enthusiasm for action unto itself.
-- Nathan Newman