On Fri, 20 Sep 2002 12:16:54 -0400 Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com>
writes:
> Brian O. Sheppard x349393 (is that a telephone extension or part of a
>
> name?) quoted:
>
> >"In order to provide those benefits, any successful movement will
> need to
> >provide its members considerably more pleasure than pain. One of
> the main
> >reasons that the left is so dull is its emphasis on self-sacrifice
> to the
> >exclusion of pleasure, and its use of guilt as a means of
> manipulation;
> >many leftist groups are outright puritanical, and even the most
> >enlightened usually treat pleasure as something frivolous, as
> something
> >unworthy of attention. As a result, participation in most political
> groups
> >is about as enjoyable as a visit to the dentist. The results of
> this are a
> >high dropout rate and the continued participation of only the most
> >self-sacrificing members - who, of course, feel justfiied in
> demanding (or
> >at least expecting) similar self-sacrifice from everyone else,
> which
> >contributes to the high dropout rate, and so on."
> >
> >- from A Future Worth Living: Thoughts on Getting There (See Sharp
> Press,
> >Tucson, AZ)
>
> Yup. I don't see how anyone can deny this, unless s/he's one of the
> extremely self-sacrificing survivors, or under some political
> inhibition about speaking the truth.
It is noteworthy that during periods when the left was most successful in the US, there existed broader "countercultures" which provided people with relatively enjoyable experiences linked to political activism. For example back in the 1930s and 1940s the CPUSA functioned within a broader Popular Front culture which encompassed a thriving literary culture and a thriving popular culture which included within its scope popular entertainment figures like Frank Sinatra (subject of an article in the latest issue of Science & Society).
The same also applied for the 1960s New Left. No doubt much of the appeal that groups like SDS and SNCC enjoyed back in the '60s was that they were often the places where the "coolest" people on campus were to be found.
Jim F.
>
> Doug
>
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