>there is probably some exaggeration here as to me being a
>'gentleman' etc., but nonetheless.....
Wow, this is some overheated stuff. For a pair of fulminators who are criticizing Sasha's remarks as "sexist" and "racist," they're awfully patronizing to her as a woman under 40.
Ms. Beagle:
>Thank you for this important letter, John. Joe Wanzala, a
>wonderful dedicated community contributor and gentleman who does not
>deserve flippant sexist remarks. His generosity of spirit is well
>known.
>Not only sexist , the Lilley letter, but ageist - "who are the
>grey-haired regular 40?????
>and add to sexist, underestimating totally that most activists ARE from the
>working community - in my over 40 years experience in Berkeley
>community - and the Bay Area, as a leader in community, a
>performance artist, the leading activists in this area who, for
>example, have been the
>LEADERS in integration of the schools, in fighting racism (through
>programs I was involved in) in fighting oppression in general, DESPITE
>their busy full time careers. This is a fact, those who are committed
>to their fellow humans as a community, don't work "part time" from 9 to
>5, they work 24/7 for their schools, their children, for their neighbor's
>children, for safety, for health. It's a different kind of
>animal who talks
>about 'workers' not having time to be activists - do we not know the
>heros of the country?
Oh please. This is pure hyperactivist blowhardery. Most people do have serious constraints on their time - it's a rather serious problem with public life in this country.
> The history of the Unions? Laborers who fought and died for
>rights of workers? We see in Lilley's letter simplicity in
>stereotypes, no political knowledge whatsoever of the great heritage
>that is Berkeley's by virtue of being a City known around the world
>as being a leader (KPFA only one of it's assets, though too often
>the station inhabited by do-gooder limited
>thinkers as this individual).
Berkeley has some very admirable aspects, but it's also a place with a very insular political culture - a lot of that a holdover from the past. Now, it seems to be more about New Age quackery and rare strains of baby lettuce.
>On Sun, 29 Aug 2004 15:08:34 -0700 John Sheridan
><johnsher at alamedanet.net> writes:
>This from Sasha Lilley of KPFA's 'Against the Grain' program, in
>response to former KPFA LAB member Joe Wanzala as seen on the Left
>Business Observer site. In a new nadir of vulgar, highly sexist,
>partisan and arguably racist personal attack, in the poverty of
>ideas that should shame anyone involved with KPFA, Lilley stoops
>below to referring the gentle and intelligent Joe Wanzala's analysis
>as "penis-waving". Joe is also a black man - and besides this being
>a vile slur on his being male - given the over 400 years of
>atrocities against the American African population, calling his
>reasoned argument "penis-waving" is an outrage which she needs to be
>called on to apologize for.
What a preposterous load of crap. This sort of braindead reflexive response to criticism is pretty standard issue for a certain breed of "activist," but it's a convenient way to avoid taking on the substance of an argument. I have to wonder whether it's a conscious technique, a la Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, to smear an opponent to put her on the defensive. Maybe not; maybe it's what passes for thought in some circles.
Should people like this run a radio station, or be its target audience?
Doug