The answer to old-school leftists' product-snobbery is not Carrol's acceptance of cigarettes and dismissal of product politics. It is to show people how they have been pushed and pulled into having to deal with cigarettes. If you eliminate the tobacco subsidy, expose the marketing ploys, spread treatment and education programs, and talk about the social and biological sources of addiction, and, if, after 100 years of giving that time to work, then, yes, fuck whoever smokes. But to just accept cigarettes and cars? That's a death sentence on millions of human beings, is it not?
> -----Original Message-----
> From: lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org [mailto:lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org]
> On Behalf Of snitsnat
> Sent: Thursday, April 14, 2005 10:31 AM
> To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org; lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
> Subject: RE: [lbo-talk] socially irresponsible investment
>
> At 01:46 PM 4/14/2005, Michael Dawson wrote:
> >OK on the investment side, but how about Carrol's unconcern with product
> >(a.k.a. "consumption") politics? Cigarettes don't bother him any more
> than
> >MP3 players, he says. That must mean cars are as good as bikes. Fox
> News
> >as good as Mike Leigh movies. Suburban McMansions as lovely medium-scale
> >green condos. Etc. etc...
> >
> >Will we ever change capitalism if we confine ourselves to Cox's hidebound
> >productionism? <...>
>
> I'm not sure that the reason Carrol takes this position is that he's a
> productionist who thinks the realm of ideology is unimportant. (if that's
> your meaning.) I think it's a bit more strategic than this--though he can
> speak for himself. What I mean is: too much of this stuff has to do with
> judgmental moralizing on the part of individuals.
>
> It's one thing to talk about SUVs in this forum, quite another to talk
> about what kind of clothes people should wear, what kind of toilet paper
> they use, if they should get pedicures, hire maids, etc. etc. When does it
> stop? Why is one thing _posed as a political issue_ and the others not?
> What is the _reason_ for drawing the line? Is there one? I'd like to see
> that question answered.
>
>
> I hope Doug, Carrol, and others might speak to this issue because I've
> kind
> of lost track of why everyone takes different positions.
>
>
>
>
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