Date: Wed, 20 Nov 1996 18:41:36 -0100 (Etc/GMT)
From: Ignacio Domingo <idomingo-AT-encomix.es>
Subject: M-I: Imperialistic pleasures


On the 19th of November, I wrote

"(P.S.: This one for comrade Anthony J. Caruso: Do young communists in the
U.S. have the same interests as young communists here: sex, heavy drinking,
sex, computers, sex, music, sex, computers, sex..?)
                                                Greetings from the Pyrenees,
                                                                        Ignacio"
Richard Boss answered:

"if this subject does not get Anthony back on the list, maybe
nothing will!"

Then, Anthony J. Caruso replied:

"Whether this was an intended slam on my efforts to enlighten the
American youth to the truth of Communism and Socialism or just a clever
way to get me back on the list, (which worked), my reply has to be this: 
NO.  The interests of young Communists in the US is fighting Capitalism,
an inherently evil system.  It sounds a little to me like the young
"Communists" in your country need to set their priorities back to where
they ought to be.  I am outraged that you would suggest that I, or *any*
young Communist for that matter, would place imperialistic pleasures
before our fight."

And finally, Adam Rose has made the following comment:

"I cannot work out which is more banal and stupid, the question or the reply.
Or is this some bizarre form of irony ? . . . Perhaps one of the participants
might want to explain . . . then again, better not . . ."

My reply:
        Well, it seems that I have made a mistake. I have made the mistake
of putting together the concepts of marxism and bodily pleasures, such as
sex, drinking and the like. "Imperialistic pleasures", as comrade Caruso has
put it.
        I guess that one cannot talk about these matters, in this list,
unless one refers to some heavy theoretical stuff, such as Marcuse,
Guattari, Foucault, and the like. Or one should discuss on the influence of
Marx's sexual and drinking habits on his work. That wouldn't be considered
banal or stupid, I guess.
        Well, now that I think about it, maybe I was being ironic. Maybe I
sent this post to comrade Caruso, with the hope that I would start a
discussion in the list on sexual liberation and marxism, or the relation
between body discipline, industrialization and capitalism. That would make
of me the clever guy in the list, and it would make of comrade Rose an
ignorant. Unfortunately, it was not the case. It is probably the other way
round.    

        A bit sad. Anyway, what can one expect from a marxist "discussion"
list? A lot of deep thought and discussion, and a ingrained prejudice
against practice of any kind.
        In my opinion, comrade Caruso, sex, drinking, music, play and,
generally speaking, "fun", can be considered as valid strategies in the
fight against "imperialistic pleasures", which are the pleasures that
capital owners get from the exploitation of labour.
                                                Greetings from the Pyrenees,
                                                                Ignacio  




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