File spoon-archives/marxism-international.archive/marxism-international_1996/96-12-23.052, message 76


Date: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 17:48:32 -0500 (EST)
From: Louis N Proyect <lnp3-AT-columbia.edu>
Subject: M-I: Another reply to "Dr." Chris Burford


On 22 Dec 1996, Chris Burford wrote:

> 
> a) why did he befriend Adolfo after returning to M1 for the purposes of 
> fighting him?

Louis: This sentence is clueless. I stopped fighting Adolpho after he
showed a human side that I found deeply moving. I had characterized him as
"Don Adolpho" riding around on his daddy's ranch barking orders to the
peons. He replied that he stood up for the Indians from a very early age,
including speaking out against the rape of their women. As soon as I saw
this side rather than the "falling between two sacks of potatoes" side, I
found a great affinity. This was also the case when Louis Godena
criticized the way PCP supporters had presented themselves to the list
originally.

I really like it when people openly admit to their mistakes.

What I can't stand is self-righteous types who never allow that they might
have screwed up. Jerry Levy, of course, springs to mind as a classic case.
You and Hans Ehrbar are next in line. When a fairly large number of people
got pissed at you two for patronizing the PCP supporters and allowing the
list to turn into the "Shining Path" list, your reply was "not us, can't
be possible." 

How does one achieve such a state of perfection? Myself, I screw up about
once a month. Usually all it takes is a private note from Scott McLemee or
Jon Flanders or Zeynep to straighten me out. You, on the other hand, can
not accept the possibility that you are screwing up. When I begged you
privately a dozen times to drop the World Mobilization Committee bullshit
(and that's what it was) which was driving me and everybody else crazy,
you ignored me. Well, I don't like being ignored.


> b) if he expects quaranteens on such a list to be 100% effective why
> did he launch a flame war with Robert Malecki after calling on everybody to
> ignore him?

Louis: I was trying to hasten the process of destroying the m1 list. I had
run out of patience. The Spoons Collective met in late June, but it
took *months* for the new lists to get started. I was beserk by the middle
of September. On the other hand, this new list is a gift from the gods. I
love it. That is why I wouldn't waste my posts in answering somebody like
neil, Rodwell or Malecki. You, at least for the time being, I will answer
because I enjoy making a Pecksniff like you uncomfortable.

By the way, I still don't know why you haven't criticized yourself for
representing yourself as a psychiatrist to the list and taking advantage
of people's vulnerability, mine most of all. Did you ever read
Silone's "Bread and Wine", by the way? This is about a CPer who hides from
Mussolini's cops in a rural village. To conceal his identity, he pretends
that he is a priest. Next the peasants start to confess to him. This, of
course, makes him deeply uncomfortable.

Didn't it make you uncomfortable to pretend that you were a physician? Was
anybody else as stupid as me to come to you with their personal problems?
Why didn't you have the honesty to say, "Lou, I feel for you, man, but I
am a pharmacist (or an accountant) and don't have a clue about human
suffering." Or perhaps the opposite is true. You *are* a psychiatrist and
take advantage of people's psychological weaknesses on the Internet. Your
psychological profiles of Ralph Dumain and Justin Schwartz were memorable,
but why would a physician do something like this, if you are one? Isn't
this a rather scummy kind of behavior? So what is the truth, Chris? Were 
you pretending to be a healer, when you were not? Or are you a healer with
the soul of a rapist?




     --- from list marxism-international-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---


   

Driftline Main Page

 

Display software: ArchTracker © Malgosia Askanas, 2000-2005