[lbo-talk] Audience

[Somebody Somebody]

West is probably in the top 20, if not top 10, most well known leftists in America. Given that we're drawing from such a meager assemblage, we need more of his kind. Moreover, I appreciate him because he helps introduce young audiences not only to radical and anti-imperialist ideas, but to major icons of literary history as well. He makes figures like Plato and Chekhov sound contemporary and relevant. The worst you can say about him is that he's got a big ego and is an attention whore. Big deal. The same is true for Michael Moore, who is similarly valuable, despite his flaws. The most serious complaint you can make about both is their continued attachment to the Democratic Party, but that has not been the focus of debate here.

However laughably anti-intellectual he seems to rarefied audiences like this one, for most people in America, he exists on a high plateau of intellectual achievement.