But I've had an ongoing argument with Ted for 10 years; he believes (crudely) that there exists an objective rationality and people need to achieve that rationality. I believe that something like 98% of the species are perfectly rational -- that rationality is a historical category constantly changing. The words "intelligent" and "unintelligent" (or "stupdi") have no referents as applied to persons; they can be applied to postions, and deciding whether a given position is stupid or intelligent is a political issue, not a question of human intelligence. Hobbes was probably right; there is far less differnce among people than there is among dogs.
Brad's characterization of the people on this list is stupid. The characterization, not the person makign it. Given brad's premises, wherever they come from, no one could arrive at intelligent positons on left strategy and tactics at the present time or any other time.
Carrol
shag carpet bomb wrote:
>
> since brad thinks that so many people on this list basically think that
> people are stupid, which accounts for their teabuggery, then I thought a
> poll was in order!
>
> on a scale, let us know the degree to which you agree or disagree with the
> explanation: peole are stupid fuckers, that's why they are teabuggers! lol
>
> http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5XJY3RY
>
> brad:
> At 10:59 AM 2/9/2010, brad bauerly wrote:
> >So, rather than dismiss them with snide comments on their being
> >'shits' or stupid or constituted entirely of petty bourgeois, it would be
> >wiser to actually engage with their arguments and in the process offer
> >alternatives. This of course does require a left movement that in part is
> >not inward looking or sectarian but is open and patient- with none of
> >the casting of all others as stupid and wrong that occurs so often in the
> >Trotsky sects and is latent in many of the recent discussions here.
>
> --
> http://cleandraws.com
> Wear Clean Draws
> ('coz there's 5 million ways to kill a CEO)
>
> ___________________________________
> http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk