[lbo-talk] black class gap

[ravi]

On Nov 15, 2007, at 6:23 AM, bitch at pulpculture.org wrote:
> At 11:30 PM 11/14/2007, ravi wrote:
>
>> Its not a hard science, and has its exceptions, but depending on what
>> you mean by "naturally", I believe the notion is not mistaken at all.
>> For the obvious reasons. In fact, I would venture that the reverse is
>> somewhat true also i.e., the oppressor people are "naturally" lacking
>> in compassion (the measurement of radicalism I will leave as an
>> exercise to the reader) -- they may learn to overcome this natural
>> malady by walking the proverbial mile... or perhaps through the more
>> common substitute: theory (unless of course the very theory is what  
>> is
>> threatened by such  findings!).
>
> i'm oppressed as a woman, but i'm an oppressor as a white person.  
> you're
> oppressed as an Indian, but an oppressor as a man. it's treating  
> identity
> as if each part can be connected together like snap together beads  
> that
> babies drool on. from what you say, it's just the opposite of the  
> facile
> assertion off essentialist identity politics, that somehow the most
> oppressed have the most insight into the truth of oppression.

I would see it not as identity but as experience. And the answer then  
is, yes, indeed it can and does have an influence on one's compassion  
and "radicalism" (or I might say "leftism" or "humanism"). There are  
only two other paths to such enlightenment: a "compassion gene" (I  
will offer no counter-argument to that idea, right now), or education  
i.e., I Got Theory, in response to which I will merely point out that  
almost always theory follows experience (i.e., "animal who  
rationalises"), but even if one can a priori arrive at such  
universals, I doubt that they can be any greater than those that arise  
from experience.

Perhaps the reason behind left-circle celebrities like Ehrenreich  
slumming adventures! ;-) <-- not intended to be "passive aggressive"  
but just humorous: its a dig at Ehrenreich since I can't stand  
Ehrenreich any more than Doug can Bono, but I do believe both of them  
(Ehrenreich and Bono, and for that matter A. Roy) are on the right  
side of the divide (and have all done more for humanity than I have,  
thus far).

Thanks for the pointer to Art McGee -- that is in fact the dude I was  
thinking of. Re: communication: I never heard back from your buddy --  
I don't think my friend did either.

	--ravi