From: blunose-AT-interserv.com
Date: Sun, 17 Nov 1996 14:08:37 -0800
Subject: RE: M-I: sex-ism


From: robert scheetz <76550.1064-AT-CompuServe.COM>
Date: 17 Nov 96 00:32:53 EST
---------------------------
>Gay Harley asks:
>"Robert,
>"What "type" are you? Do you categorize men who are 'inclined
>"to proletarian solidarity' in such crude categories.... 

>Well, yes...and I really appreciate this opportunity to repeate my favorite
>Brechtian maxim: "Think crude!"  And if I may, it is precisely the
>trouble with this grad school type stuff:

>"... the reasons for this imbalance ... be better served studying
>"structural/social factors surrounding the nature of these forums for
>"discussion, the nature of conversation/participation....
 
>as you and young Schwartz, et al. purvey, that it has no bowell. 

>Anyway, to be perfectly crude, I passionately loathe abortion; and thence its
>subtle partisans, etc....howsoever it marginalizes me. Dorothy Day and the
>Maryknolls are favorites....you may have noticed, theology of liberation is as
>far from the mind of (your favorite) Mother Proyect's syllabus as 
>postmodernism.


Gay replies:
-----------
I'm so ignorant of postmodernism that I didn't know I did a postmodernist
thing by saying...
>"... the reasons for this imbalance ... be better served studying
>"structural/social factors surrounding the nature of these forums for
>"discussion, the nature of conversation/participation....

All I was trying to express was my tentative way of saying look who talks
in a room of people or at a meeting...I really don't know enough about 
postmodernism to deny this as being a part of it or not. To be honest
I don't get enough time to read all that I would want and from what 
I know of it the postmodern stuff looks like a waste of time (when 
one's reading time is limited). I'm still plowing through Marx, secondary
books about Marxism, history, etc. No, I work for a living...that's the 
point! From any studies I've read, I think it is a cold, hard economic 
fact that women get less "spare time" then men on a worldwide basis
(but I am willing to be convinced otherwise). I leave it to smarter 
people with research time to explain why or why not.

To be frank, I'm really upset you labeled me with a bunch of stuff,
some of which I don't know enough about to deny and some of which 
I live my life to disagree with. I suggest you slow down and 
carefully respect the written word. Your reading between the lines 
was way off base. I simply was defending Marxism, cause people were 
questioning its appeal to women. I'm saying it appeals big time to 
this woman... that I'm just too chickenshit to dive into the conversation, 
partly for lack of time to properly compose my contributions, partly 
cause I'm afraid to waste other people's time. I worked hard on the 
writing in my post to try to be careful about this sensitive issue 
and to try to have respect for the level of writing by others...hence, 
my wimpy kind of fudging on the issue...any similarity to your 
definition of postmodernism is purely coincidental. 

The sex ratio imbalance on this list is a fact. I tryed to say
it shouldn't be regarded as a comment on Marxism and class analysis, 
but more a comment on who has a voice, a computer and spare time. 
I did say: "_If_ people are interested in the reasons for this imbalance..." 
*I'm* not terribly interested, but I thought as a female Marxist 
lurker my experience might be relevant to the discussion.

As far as being an elitist schmuck, I have no idea what you mean by 
the theology of liberation and I have never heard of Maryknoll. 
And *you* don't know what *I* think of abortion. That you immediately 
assumed I would care about the abortion issue instead of class 
struggle means you *prejudged* me. I am a Marxist. Give me some credit.

In my previous post I was trying to give a thumbs up on the list, 
the tone of the list, and a big thumbs up on Marxism, while exposing 
*your* sexist comment. How dare you abuse Brecht to justify *your* 
prejudice.

Gay Harley
Toronto, Ontario
blunose-AT-interserv.com


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