[lbo-talk] Michaels, Against Diversity

[shag carpet bomb]

At 12:42 PM 10/4/2009, brad bauerly wrote:
>  "since I barely watch the news or read a paper lately, could you elaborate?
>Who used race to distract from class?"
>
>CNN, NYT, dailykos, MoveON, ect... all those you correctly locate outside of
>the left.  Here is a related question I often pose to new folks I meet who
>are left leaning: does your definition of the left only include views that
>are specifically anti-capitalist?.  I think that WBM is actually attempting
>to draw a political line in the sand to force this question into the public
>political arena (however small the actual audience he is reaching and
>however badly he fails because of his rhetorical style).  This is where his
>articles become important, because it causes debates here and elsewhere that
>help us to define the boundaries of those who are working for the same goals
>and those who may be working cross-purposes with those goals, whether
>intentionally or not.
>
>Brad

need to be more clear. what exactly did they do. what was done? what was said?

and to carrol -- yeah, I agree with you. I think I need to flesh out what 
disturbed me about Michael's book. There was something almost... I don't 
know ... that his support for anti-racism, his opposition to sexism, and so 
forth is superficial. That he doesn't really mean it and is, underneath it 
all, just another really pissed off white guy who is exploiting the issue 
because, while he's certainly not suffering income-wise and has only 
benefited, actually, from affirmative action and the like, he is just 
bothered by all the darkies and women in places they shouldn't e.

i know that's really unfair. if i get time to skim the book and refresh my 
memory, i'll recant. but it really was the impression i got from the guy.

you know what it is? it's that I didn't get one stinkin' vibe that the guy 
is actually a marxist of heavy user of marx in any way shape or form. but 
like I said, that could be just a really uncharitable reading on my part.

shag