[lbo-talk] Howard Stern: Flaming Leftist?

Wojtek Sokolowski sokol at jhu.edu
Thu Feb 26 09:41:17 PST 2004


Chuck0
> Thanks god for distractions from mass organizing! Activism could
> certainly use more of that good ole 60s hedonistic spirit. I don't
know
> why anybody thinks that people would join a movement dominated by
vegan
> ascetics. ;-)

I have no problems with weed smoking, ugly clothes etc. and hedonism in general - I did that myself for some time, but I had no illusion whatsoever as to the nature of what I was doing: goofing around and NOT doing any political work. When I started doing bona fide political work it was labor movement (Solidarnosc of 1980) not counter culture. I do not think that once contradicts the other, but one should not be confused with the other either.

BTW, during the Persian Gulf War I, I was involved in anti-war organizing that did use a lot of theatrics (art making, street theatre, music etc.) and all of that was fine as long as I thought that it was a means to an end. The sobering up came when a proposal was made to join the striking workers (mostly Latino) at a Green Giant plant. The goofy hippies preferred to stay on the campus and continue doing their goofy anti-war art. A few months later, they were approached by a local union chapter to boycott a graduation party at a local posh restaurant involvement in a labor dispute. The goofy hippies preferred to party.

That and similar experiences led me to grudgingly agree with the notorious nazi playwright Hanns Johst who said "Wenn Ich Kultur hoere, entsichere Ich meinen Browning."

Wojtek



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