Criticism, Self-Criticism, and a few other things.

[Peter K.]

Carrol:
>> And how do you get from pronouncement to fact? It's not like god
>> saying "Let there be light" and there was light.
>
>That's a matter for continuing discussion -- a discussion that is not
>forwarded by asking vacuous questions anymore than it is forwarded by
>wholly unanchored sweeping statements. The advantage of the latter,
>however, is that they sometimes lead to further discussion while the
>questions are merely a way of shutting everyone up.

The only things impressive about Yoshie is her reference ability and
memory. I enjoy her literary or movie-related quotes (I thought that Yoshie's
a male name, btw) Carrol on the other hand regularly comes up with
these Buddhist koans that cleanse the mind with their paradoxes.


>But that is ALWAYS the question: What, under given historical
>conditions, does focusing on class _mean_. My assumption is that in the
>United States focusing on class means focusing on the struggle against
>working-class racism, which means uniting those parts of the class
>(white or black, male or female) who will struggle under that banner.

I think the Lott episode demonstrates that the the US is getting better on race
(at least since 1948 and at least in its imagined self) in spite of all the endlessly repeated coded
propaganda. It also highlighted how the Republicans play
the race card and how Clinton, Gore, Mickey Kaus, etc. encouraged the Democrats to do the same.
Anyone who dismisses the Lott episode as mere bourgeois parlamentary politics/executive committee
fluff, fails to notice its symbolism. Unlike say the early 60s, blacks and Latinos are much, much
more integrated into the armed services, police forces, entertainment industry, etc, etc. The
current strategy of the Republicans seems to be to divide the Latinos and Blacks.

There also seems to be some symbolism in Brazil with Lula appointing the musician Gil to head the
culture ministry.

Peter (stating the obvious from a glass house)