File spoon-archives/marxism-international.archive/marxism-international_1996/96-11-03.020, message 75


Date: Fri, 1 Nov 1996 10:22:45 -0600 (CST)
From: Dennis Grammenos <dgrammen-AT-prairienet.org>
Subject: Re: M-I: Live at NYU: Sokal vs. Social Text


On Fri, 1 Nov 1996, Liam Connell wrote:
>  Louis N Proyect <lnp3-AT-columbia.edu>
LP> > Seated to Alan's right was Andrew Ross, a cultural studies 
LP> > professor at NYU and current editor of Social Text. He is wearing 
LP> > large loop earrings in each ear, a fluffy white shirt and 
LP> > silver bracelets on each wrist. I can't decide whether he making 
LP> > some kind of statement about sexuality or is trying out his Halloween 
LP> > costume a day early.

LC> Although sympathetic to much of what you say in this review I 
LC> think that this is a particularly offensive thing to say.  Do 
LC> you use the term homophobia in the States?

I probably shouldn't get involved in this, but...

>From where I sit, LP was making an ad hominem attack on Andrew Ross, 
based on the latter's fashion sense.  While ad hominem attacks are 
"lowbrow" (can I use that term without being flamed?), I do not see this 
attack as deserving the label "homophobic".  

Perhaps I do not understand... 
In my crude sense of humor, I think that LP's description of Ross was 
quite humorous.  I mean, I laughed... Was I laughing because LP was 
calling Ross a "homo" or a "faggot"?  No! Did I laugh because I 
thought LP was "outing" Ross?  No!  I laughed because in my own limited and 
outdated sense of fashion, Ross did not dress "appropriately", i.e. he 
did not dress like I would ( I am being honest).  I mean, I got this 
image of Andrew Ross dressed as The Artist Formerly Known As Prince, or 
like some pirate of Hollywood vintage (say, Erol Flynn).  Of course, 
given that it was in time for Halloween, maybe he was just dressing-up 
for that.  Or, maybe, he was IN FACT making a statement about his 
sexuality.  

I guess the latter would change things quite a bit...    
But since when does the mere wearing of large loop earings, a fluffy 
shirt, and bracelets constitute a statement on sexual identity?  On this 
I am just lost...  It reminds me so much of crude caricatures of gay men 
or transgender persons...

I can understand LC's sensitivity on the issue.  
Oftentimes people use language to "code" hatred whether it is racism or 
homophobia or what have you.  I just don't think that that was LP's 
intention (and I do not presume to speak for LP since I don't even know him).

Sorry if I stepped on any toes, but I felt that I just had to share my 
thoughts on this matter.  My opinions are open to re-examination and 
revision, I guess...  

Comradely salutations:-)
Dennis Grammenos


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