Charles
^^^^^^
>From Marxmail:
sexist language, sluts and whores
Louise W. : Hello everyone,
I thought I'd better let you know I'm back, after repairing myself a little by pulling my head out of the fire. One thing I learned early on in my conscious political life is to know my limits. I was too emotionally involved in the debate last week for my engagement to be sustainable. I regret my bitter response to jscotlive, but nothing more. I had to get out.
Last night I read everyone's contributions on this and related questions. I have found some of them poetic, many of them interesting and quite a few very useful. In particular I recommend Neil D. Ash's post to anyone who hasn't had a chance to read much in these threads. It is so good that it has even helped me better understand the political nature of my own distress around this. Contributions like these represent to me the 'something that needs to be done about this' which Les Schaffer referred to.
One last thing. I wanted to explain why I haven't posted very much here in the past and suddenly I come along and look like I'm making a massive nuisance of myself. You see, this list is meant to be for 'activists and scholars' in the marxist tradition. I used to consider myself to be both, but lately I have not considered myself to really be either, in the traditional senses of the terms. Ten years ago I was a PhD student in history, but now I am a student and teaching administrator in a university, with very little time for academic pursuits of my own. For that reason I have largely taken the (problematic, I know) attitude here of the passive learner, contributing with a few simple questions and the very occasional link, and otherwise trying to learn from other people's contributions.
Learning isn't a passive thing, though, is it? This, too, is elementary. Through this discussion I have learned more than I have in the last year sifting through other people's opinions.
Perhaps I am a 'scholar in the marxist tradition', after all. :)
Thankyou comrades, Louise