From: Braderr-AT-aol.com
Date: Fri, 4 Apr 1997 13:10:00 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Fwd: M-TH: Re: M-I: Grammatical Clique/Bourgeois Populism



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Forwarded message:
Subj:    Re: M-TH: Re: M-I: Grammatical Clique/Bourgeois Populism
Date:    97-04-04 13:08:37 EST
From:    Braderr

To:      marxism-thaxis-AT-jefferson.village.virginia.edu

Doug Henwood wrote:

>>Hey, comrade, I actually do read the stuff. I've read Derrida, and
Deleuze/Guattari, Foucault, Lacan, Zizek, Butler - the whole damn gang. And
you know what? I think their styles are one of their problems. That style
is a sign of self-referentiality, arrogance, artifice, and even a little
fraudulence in the cases of D/G, Lacan, and late Derrida. How curious that
you seem to become what you criticize, Oh Revolutinists of Buffalo!<<

Brad: Regardless of what you think of these theorists and their "style,"
their understandings of pomo culture are the dominant understandings in the
academy today.  I REPEAT, AS ONE AREA OF STRUGGLE, THE ACADEMY HAS BEEN TAKEN
OVER BY BOURGEOIS IDEALISTS AND MUST BE RETURNED TO REVOLUTIONARY MARXIST
THEORY IN ORDER TO EVENTUALLY DESTROY THE DIVISION OF MENTAL LABOR
REPRESENTED BY THE ACADEMY AS SUCH.  THIS MEANS ENGAGING WITH THESE THEORIES,
AT THE LEVEL OF CONCEPTUALITY, IN AN EQUALLY COMPLEX AND RIGOROUS FASHION, IN
ORDER TO SUPERSEDE THEIR LOGIC.  THIS IS PART OF THE CLASS STRUGGLE IN THE
REALM OF IDEAS/IDEOLOGY AND NOT SIMPLY SOME FUN PASSTIME AN ESOTERIC GROUP OF
STUDENTS AND PROFESSORS HAS DECIDED TO ENGAGE IN.  THE ACADEMY IS RESPONSIBLE
FOR INTERPELLATING A SECTION OF THE PROLETARIAT AS FUTURE PROLETARIANS,
MANAGERS, CAPITALISTS, ETC.  IT DOES THIS IN PART THROUGH PROVIDING THOSE
FRAMES OF UNDERSTANDING "REALITY" THAT HELP MAINTAIN THE SMOOTH OPERATIONS OF
CAPITALISM.  IN THIS SENSE, IT IS STILL ONE OF THE ALTHUSSARIAN IDEOLOGICAL
APPARTUSES, AND IS VERY POWERFUL IN CONFERRING THE IDEOLOGIES OF THE RULING
CLASS ONTO YOUNG IMPRESSIONABLE MINDS.  THIS IS, IN THE LAST INSTANCE, A
MATERIAL STRUGGLE THAT CANNOT AFFORD TO POPULIZE ITS THEORIES IN A PARODY OF
THE DOMINANT TENDENCIES (I.E. BELL HOOKS, ANDREW ROSS, ETC.).  THIS MOVE
SIMPLY TURNS KNOWLEDGE INTO A DIFFERENT FORM OF COMMODITIY AND PLACES IT ON
THE LEVEL ON NIKE SNEAKERS.  I SUGGEST WE DISCUSS THE BEST WAYS TO GO ABOUT
PRODUCING REVOLUTIONARY KNOWLEDGES WITHIN THE MATERIAL AND HISTORICAL LIMITS
OF KNOWLEDGE PROUDUCTION WITHIN LATE CAPITALISM, RATHER THAN DISMISSIING SUCH
"DISSCUSSION" WITH QUIPS ABOUT STYLE, PERSONALITY CONFLICTS, LACK OF HUMOR
(WHAT IS SO FUNNY?  WHAT THERE TO LAUGH ABOUT?), ETC.

In Solidarity,
Brad Rothrock


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