[lbo-talk] Re: Orthodox and Muslims Slam 'Da Vinci'

Yoshie Furuhashi critical.montages at gmail.com
Mon May 22 13:30:15 PDT 2006


On 5/22/06, Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> wrote:
> Yoshie Furuhashi wrote:
>
> >Taking a sober look at the "state of the left," one would be tempted
> >to say: "I'm just gonna cultivate my garden, like Candide." Why
> >bother talking to any leftist about the need to understand and clarify
> >the Ahmadinejad administration's social and economic program, the
> >imperative of fighting against state measures that are motivated by
> >and promote xenophobia though couched in defense of women, etc.? Why
> >not read that Juan Goytisolo novel that I always meant to read
> >instead? Or go shopping and buy a pair of new shoes? If we are going
> >to Hell in a hand basket, let it be at least said that I'm getting
> >there well-read and well-dressed. . . .
>
> Good questions; I ask them of myself several times an hour. What are
> your answers?

The odds are 999 to 1 against me or you or any leftists in the United States making any difference whatsoever for Iran. So, if I were approaching the question as a gambler, I would not bet a dime on it. But I would suggest that US leftists approach politics in the tragicomic spirit of Samuel Beckett -- "I can't go on, I'll go on" -- especially this year, the 100th anniversary of his birth.

-- Yoshie <http://montages.blogspot.com/> <http://mrzine.org> <http://monthlyreview.org/>



More information about the lbo-talk mailing list