[lbo-talk] Re: Potter's Addition (RE: Reply to Kelley)

[snitsnat]

At 12:42 PM 4/22/2005, Wojtek Sokolowski wrote:
>Kelley:
> > I guess Wojtek you sound confused about what you think the enemy is. I
> > dunno. You know I love you, so I don't want to cause a breach, though of
> > all the people on the list, you seem like the one least likely to let such
> > a difference keep us from being friends and colleagues.
> >
>
>I think you misinterpret my arguments, or perhaps I am not expressing myself
>clearly enough.  So let me clarify things a bit as much as I can.
>
>I do not consider any class of people as my enemies - not even the "yuppie"
>or "corporate executive class" - let alone the working class or
>lumpenproletariat class.

The operative words was _WHAT_, not who, but what.


>Second, I never argued that lumpensproletariat (or anyone else) is to blame
>for their own fate or that such fate is determined primarily by their
>personal characteristics.

No, what you asked was: "Why can't they get themselves out of their ruts" 
-- because you did.


>  All I was saying is that such characteristics
>should be taken into account together with structural factors.

Apparently, you completely missed my list of books where I detail the ways 
in which three of them do exactly that. Why you think that most of the 
books don't -- I don't get. The rest of the books on my list, I can 
absolutely vounch for a fact that, as classics in the field, they all do this.

So, who exactly are you talking about? Some amorphous "them". Do you think 
someone or two or four people on this list do this? Who? Name names and 
provide quotes because I really dislike hearing about how this group or 
that faction does such and so with utterly nothing for me to go by except 
for the claim. I do not see in any of the literature any analysis where 
patholgies are ignored or anyone dismisses the foibles of these folk.

Same thing with the 'left writers suck' trope and the 'left publications 
are ugly' trope. I'd like to know _exactly_ which ones and why the speaker 
thinks they are ugly.

I understand your other points -- that's why I love you. BTW, I personally 
don't like Mike and his wife. I've never held a grudge in my life, except 
for my step mother who tried to beat my son and then beat the hell out of 
me with a cutting board when I tried to stop her. I wrote her off a long 
time ago and only see my dad when she's not around. Mike and his wife did 
something on par enough with that, that while I will tolerate them, I've 
made it clear to R that we will never, ever live within 100 miles of them. 
So you see, I write about my step mother and Mike and his wife and kids, 
but I don't even personally _like_ them. If you think, therefore, that what 
motivates me is love for these folks because it's a personal relationship, 
I think that should put your mind at ease. :)

smoochiez and sorry for overpost.

k