Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 10:00:32 +0200 From: Hugh Rodwell <m-14970-AT-mailbox.swipnet.se> Subject: M-TH: When is a moronic slug not a moronic slug? More on the Humpty-Dumpty character of "Marxist" discourse in the hands of Stalinists. Under the heading of "The list revitalized?", I posted the following to M-International, where the discourse, officially along roughly the same lines as here, is in the hands of Stalinists: >Since it's way over a week since I was suspended, perhaps it's time to >speak out again. > >Considering that the rumpus all started with what were considered >non-political vituperations of a purely personal kind by one subscriber >against another, perhaps the moderators could let us know in what sense the >following post is NOT non-political vituperation of a purely personal kind: > > >>>You should have gotten struck by lightning, you moron. Who gives a rat's >>>ass? I didn't expect you to be as >>>superficial in your reply as this.Did you see your reflection in a >>>mirror, you >>>vampire creep. You are Rush Limbaugh. Heartfield thinks that the crap that >>>comes out of his brain is "controversial".This LM is about as unsavory a >>>bunch as you are going to find. >> >>>If Heartfield had a brain instead of a big mouth,his outfit is made up of >>>slugs Louis Proyect > >This is not the first post of this character by Louis Proyect. > >Now, if the moderators mean business with their statements of the past week >or two, and want to run a railroad that keeps on the tracks, they would be >well advised to apply their new strict interpretation of the rules >even-handedly. > >Given that a subscriber has raised the question of the character of the >above posting in relation to rules that were invoked to justify expulsions >and suspensions, I expect an official answer on the point by the moderators. > >Gay in particular justified the actions of the moderators on the grounds >that they would encourage a higher and cleaner level of political >discussion. Perhaps we need to be enlightened as to the political >implications of "vampire creep", "moron", "slugs" and "a rat's ass". > >Jerry provided a political explanation of his language, but it wasn't >considered to come up to scratch. > >Let's see how the present case compares. I received the following answer from Stalinist moderator Louis Godena: >While Louis Proyect has been asked to avoid this type of language in the >future, his post differs substantially from those that resulted in the >departure of Jerry Levy, *et al*. For one thing, Mr Levy repeatedly flamed >his nemises on marxism-international. In fact, an examination of his posts >reveal that he seldom wrote about anything else. For another, Louis >Proyect's rhetoric, while inflammatory, is centered around a political >point; namely, the misquoting by James Heartfield of "statistics" "proving" >a fact that he must have known is absurd. And, as long as we are on the >subject of misnomers, "rat's ass" in this case is a figure of speech and not >directed at anyone in particular. "Vampire creep", "slug", etc., do not >differ substantially from the type of animism used by Lenin to scourge his >enemies. > >But, of course, Hugh is splitting hairs here to make a point. There is a >world of difference between the occasional use of the word "moron", "slug", >"vampire creep" in a post attacking the political position of an opponent, >and the repeated, daily barrage of invective (and nothing else) that >regularly emitted from the pens of the departed Messrs. Malecki and Levy. >Hugh of course knows this, and all his jailhouse lawyering, slyly presented >as a legal brief, cannot disguise this salient fact. > >Further, the moderators have no intention of being dragged into this type of >political sophmorism, which always aims, not at serious argument, but toward >Appeals to the Liberal Conscience, always on the part of those who routinely >wear their Militancy and Higher Knowledge of Revolutionary Marxism on their >sleeves. 1 In Stalinist eyes, Proyect's malevolent and baseless slurs are not repeated occurrences! 2 In Stalinist eyes, Proyect's malevolent and baseless slurs are "centered around a political point", ie the misquoting of statistics thereby rendering a fact absurd. 3 In Stalinist eyes, Proyect's language and purpose "do not>differ substantially from the type of animism used by Lenin to scourge his enemies". 4 In Stalinist eyes, the posts of Bob M and Jerry L to M-I consisted of nothing but invective. 5 In Stalinist eyes, I am splitting sophomorical hairs, while Proyect and Godena (and Adolfo of course) are engaged in "serious argument". In a word, for Stalinists anything is permitted if it "scourges ... political enemies". This is a combination of turf warfare and pragmatism that has nothing to do with Marxism or Leninism. Cheers, Hugh --- from list marxism-thaxis-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
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