[lbo-talk] [Fwd: The rise of an emotion based left was Bush using drugs]

Carrol Cox cbcox at ilstu.edu
Thu Aug 5 08:19:18 PDT 2004


-------- Original Message -------- Subject: The rise of an emotion based left was Bush using drugs Date: Thu, 05 Aug 2004 07:54:36 -0700 From: Doyle Saylor <djsaylor at MINDSPRING.COM> Reply-To: PEN-L list <PEN-L at SUS.CSUCHICO.EDU> To: PEN-L at SUS.CSUCHICO.EDU

Greetings Economists, It is but a small step from what CC writes:

As a friend of mine in the local Depressive Support Group once observed, Just because you're crazy doesn't mean you're not also a jerk! There is no difficulty in demonstrating that Bush and his friends are one large bunch of thugs & war criminals. There is no need for Capital Blue's baiting of the mentally ill!

Doyle, to taking seriously what emotion contributes to society. Everyone knows the Enlightenment view of emotion is that it does not belong in rational discussion.

Contrarily, the philosopher of law at the University of Chicago, Martha Nussbaum posits a society in which asocial emotions do not shape society, and social emotions do. It is a far cry from that position to one which condemns Bush for being depressed. It is bigoted anti-disability claim about Bush.

Just to be clear Nussbaum for example distinguishes disgust as an asocial emotion from anger or fear which are social emotions. In other words Nussbaum takes seriously the role of emotion in the construction of society and gives us probably the first non bigoted way to approach this issue. She in fact directly addresses bigotry against disabled people.

No socialist or Marxist can possibly stand by an attack upon depressed people as a legitimate left path. Down with the bigots. thanks, Doyle

--------

I might add that Capital Blue's shot also hits Lincoln. One of his letters, describing his own condition, is one of the best descriptions of depression I know of. It is simply bad politics, bad left politics anyhow, to focus on the person rather than on the political positions and actions. For one thing, positions held by Q today are held by P tomorrow, and all the attacks on and analyses of Q become irrelevant and silly.

Carrol



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