Upside of Horowitz Ad

[Chris Kromm]

I haven't read all the messages in this thread, but I will argue this: the
Horowitz ad is a net gain for progressives. While he is being rightly
tarnished as a wacky fanatic, his ads have brought reparations into the
public debate far more effectively than rep. proponents have been able to
do. Many are learning about the issue of reparations for the first time. As
one of the students involved in protests at Duke remarked to me, "We didn't
know about the reparations issue until this ad. Now we're on board." Forums
are being organized on the issue, all of which will be much better attended
than they would have been pre-Horowitz. All in all, an advance for the
movement (whether you agree with the reparations case or not).
CK

----- Original Message -----
From: "Dennis" <dperrin13 at mediaone.net>
To: <lbo-talk at lists.panix.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2001 4:46 PM
Subject: Re: Student Protests Against Horowitz Ad]


> Charles Brown wrote:
>
> > You are  committing a logical fallacy of the type  that advocacy of some
> physical confrontation is advocacy of any and all physical confrontation.
> Just because someone supports or advocates physical confrontation in one
> situation does not mean you can tag them with supporting or advocating any
> wild idea you can think of.
>
> I simply responded to what you wrote:
>
> > Seems like a very good symbolic act, attacking private property.
>
> If you wish to specifiy when and where this is a "good symbolic act," then
> do so. Otherwise, I'll assume that in the name of "revolution" you'd
endorse
> just about anything.
>
> > I am more of attorney Lenin school of jurisprudence. Lenin used the
> bourgeois courts, but he didn't confine himself to them.
>
> Here we part company, Chuck. I am not a Leninist, and really see nothing
> admirable about that humorless dictator.
>
> >Seems to me we were winning against Horowitz.  This whole episode makes
us
> look good and Horowitz look bad, sort of like a childmolestor on campus.
>
> Really? Where do you get this impression? In your local sectarian paper?
>
>  > Why do you think Horowitz is winning ? I say, keep it up ,Horowitz,
more
> people have heard about reparations than ever before. He is forcing white
> radicals who have been wishy washy on this to find a way to argue against
> him.
>
> Horowitz is easy to argue against. He's not forcing anyone to do anything.
> It's the radicals who've played his game by his rules. I don't know if
he's
> "winning," but he's sure being taken seriously and doesn't deserve to be.
> Again, another gift handed him by the likes of you.
>
> DP
>