"Ok. But does that mean that all spectacles should be eliminated? That all games should be eliminated? One could cite the sexual orgies that went on in pagan Rome as well. Would that mean that sex should be eliminated? Of course not.
According to such extreme lines of thought, everything that is not explicitly political is a distraction from politics and from the class struggle. So, let's reignite the Proleterian Cultural Revolution where life becomes one big political meeting! And if you dont go to the meeting you get thrown in jail or worse."
Is there anyone on this list who holds this position? Who are you arguing against?
"For many of us, me included, politics is at least partially a game...it's a hobby. That is not to say people on the Left dont engage in it mainly for reasons of liberation and concern for others. But part of the allure is that it is a game, a pass-time. That is part of the reason why we are on this list."
Would just like to point out that if politics strikes you as a game, this is because your material well-being would not be substantially affected by a particular political outcome. You are not about to be drafted and you are not about to be thrown out on the sidewalk. For many people who are not as privileged as you are, political outcomes might make the difference between life and death, between a decent life and absolute immiseration, between freedom and imprisonment. It is therefore much less of a game for them and they are not "puritannical" because it is not a game for them.
I do not regard this list as a game. Sure, the banter is sometimes fun. What attracts me mainly is the opportunity to hone my language and thoughts (through dialog) to the point where they are clear and persusasive. To my mind, this period is like a modern dark ages; we are the scribes preserving and renewing an understanding of history and culture that deserves to be carried forward. We are attempting to survive intellectually and spiritually, in an age that has no use for intelligence or spirit, and which believes that you can bomb people into freedom and democracy.
Joanna