i agree that art engaged in the old standby --action/practice is somehow more important that discussion and theorizing. i've spoken often here about how silly such comments are -- at a discussion list. i've also spoken about how sexist i think they are -- generally when i rag on carrol or mike yates for thinking we spend too much time in front of a computer instead of organizing, etc. i thought about responding but thought better of it b/c i think it happens a great deal and, indeed, leo, you've made similar gestures yourself.
art made an appropriate critique -- it is a comment grounded in a great deal of theorizing on the part of people of color. i'm most familiar with it in terms of feminists of color: bell hooks, gloria anzaldua, gloria yamato, etc.
i think brad's comment was useless. utterly useless, at best -- particularly from someone who generally manages to pump out some major k's on other topics. doug at least had a theoretical critique! it was useless because he seemed to make an equivalence. there wasn't one. white people speaking about black nationalism and reparations is fine -- as is men speaking about feminist theory and practice -- but do your fucking homework and don't be surprised if someone steps out of the shadows and upbraids you for not doing your homework. people who spend a lot of their time reading and pontificating because that's their work or because that's what their lives afford at the moment --like us --the us that bitches about dumb conservatives -- owe one another that much.
kelley