Date: Sun, 24 Nov 1996 05:09:55 -0500 (EST)
From: Gerald Levy <glevy-AT-acnet.pratt.edu>
Subject: M-TH: Jon's evasions and misrepresentations


Jon Beasley-Murray wrote:

> I find it astonishing that you are so obtuse.

No, Jon -- it is astonishing that you could read so much into something
that wasn't there (see below).

> You produced a generic, nationalistic slur.  You did that by suggesting
> that it was a characteristic of Argentines that they are stupid (OK, so
> you said "genius" but you have never denied that you meant this
> sarcastically; in fact this is a little more complicated than saying
> Juan, and tendentially Argentines are stupid: it also implies that part
> of their stupidity is their taking themselves for geniuses).

(a) there was *nothing* generic about the comment (as, taken together, it
referred to *one* person (note the hyphens in original). How many
Argentinian-accountant-(act like, believe
themselves to be) geniuses-Marxists-writing on the subject of
political economy (recall the original sentence) do you think there
are? If there is anyone else who fits *that* designation other than
Juan then I *do* apologize.

(b) Ah, since I called Juan a genius, that means that I implied that all
Argentinians are stupid (and that their "stupidity" resides in the belief
that they consider themselves to be geniuses)? No, Jon. Remember the word
*"accountant"*? [see (a) above]. By your logic I am implying that all
accountants are from Argentina and that all accountants are "geniuses."


>  None of the below falls into a similar category, except possibly the
>  last
> (and that scarcely; it's more an expression of opinion about academics).
> This says nothing for the truth claims of any of these comments.
> However, yes, according to the (really quite obvious) logic I pointed to
> earlier, Juan is saying that the US academic system is a bureaucratic
> system of thought control.  This is his generic insult.  However, it also
> seems to be more a critique, and Juan would scarcely be the first or the
> last to make it.  Yes, he is also saying that you are a product and
> example of this system and its ills.  Yes, this is personal
> condemnation.  But this is not a generic slur.

I didn't say it was "generic". I said it was a stereotype. The stereotype
is the bureaucrat academic Tenured Professor of Political Economy which
implies many things about myself which are simply *untrue*. For instance,
it implies something about my status, income, benefits, job security,
power, etc.. It also shows how little Juan knows about the *actual*
(concrete, scientific determinations) of the US college system where,
increasingly, most faculty work part-time, receive very low wages, no
benefits, have no real job security, have no power in a bureaucratic
sense, etc..

Also, btw, my original comment could also be seen as part of a critique.
It is a (partial) critique when someone charges that s/he have made their
"scientific" system so obtuse and limiting that s/he implies that there is
only *1* person in the whole world (i.e. oneself) who is a Marxist writing
on the subject of political economy (everyone else, presumably, is a
vulgar economist).

> Oh, and Juan does seem to have a generically low opinion of members of
> the Buenos Aires Jockey club.  From what I know, this seems a fair
> opinion, and refers more to their manner of conducting business than
> anything else, but I confess a certain degree of ignorance on this
> subject.

It wasn't generic -- it was an insult directed against me. You *did* ask
me: why the insults? I gave you lots of examples of insults.

> Jerry: when people say nasty things about you, this does not mean that
> they are producing a slur.

The word that you used before that I was responding to was "insult"
(although, his comments were also, very clearly, misrepresentations,
false insinuations, etc..).

> ... but then I don't agree with Juan's characterization of
> you for what it's worth).  But I think people have leeway to be wrong;
> and if they later are convinced that they have been wrong, they should
> say so.

Good. In that case, I await Juan's apology.

Jerry




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