>
> From: Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com>
> Date: 2002/06/17 Mon PM 07:30:09 EDT
> To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
> Subject: Re: Michael Tigar
>
> Carrol Cox wrote:
>
> >Justin Schwartz wrote:
> >>
> >>Chuck was
> >> saying that all right wingers in govt were mediocre idiots. I listed a few I
> >> thought were pretty smart.
> >>
> >
> >My own feeling, not developed in any detail, is that all judgements in
> >terms of intellectual capacity (low or high as the case might be) belong
> >in the same order if not the same genus as conspiracy theories. They
> >turn the focus away from social relations and history to focus on an "x"
> >that is neither measurable nor even very definable.
>
> I've got to say I agree with you on this. Justin, you admire this
> abstract quality of intelligence outside of what it does too much for
> me. So what if these fucks are smart? That makes them worse.
>
> Doug
>
I think there's a common tendency on the left (myself included) to occasionally think that simply because our views for a good society are intrinsically better, anyone who doesn't agree with us is an idiot. Aside from avoiding reality, what this mentality tends to do is to unconsciously abrogate our responsibility for putting our beliefs into action. If the people in power are idiots, then what can be done but to stew? But I think it comes less from avoiding reality than from desperation at seeing the large majority of leaders, in our country and abroad, acting in direct opposition to the interests and desires of the people. And it doesn't seem to matter much whether the fucks are dumb or smart - Bush is one of the dumber people I'm aware of, but his ability to be swayed by advisors makes him just as bad as the evil fucks actually running the country.
andrew