File spoon-archives/marxism-thaxis.archive/marxism-thaxis_1996/96-12-15.193, message 2


Date: Sat, 23 Nov 1996 13:57:39 -0500
From: dhenwood-AT-panix.com (Doug Henwood)
Subject: Re: M-TH: Juan's evasions and misrepresentations


At 12:47 PM 11/23/96, Gerald Levy wrote:

>If others want to interpret these *facts* as slurs, that is their
>prerogative. However [and I'm the only one who can say this with
>certainty], no slur was intended here.

This is wonderfully amusing, Jerry, given the eagerness with which you
police other people's speech. I recall a great gust of moralizing just a
couple of weeks ago in which you proclaimed that racist/sexist jokes *are
not funny* exclamation point, when in fact, as several people pointed out,
they can be funny, even if they're cruel and damaging. The task is
obviously to figure out how and why they're funny, as much as we don't like
them.

In this case, the identifier "Argentinian" was completely gratuitous.
Juan's nationality has nothing to do with your beef with him, so it's quite
reasonable to conclude from its use that some slur, conscious or
unconscious, was intended by its use. Had you not taken the high moralizing
position on jokes it might be easier for you to admit that even you are
susceptible to bigotry - but of course that can't be the case, as you've
told us many times.

Doug

--

Doug Henwood
Left Business Observer
250 W 85 St
New York NY 10024-3217
USA
+1-212-874-4020 voice
+1-212-874-3137 fax
email: <dhenwood-AT-panix.com>
web: <http://www.panix.com/~dhenwood/LBO_home.html>




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