File spoon-archives/marxism-thaxis.archive/marxism-thaxis_1998/marxism-thaxis.9801, message 765


Subject: Re: M-TH: Poetry
Date: Sun, 1 Feb 98 14:00:43 -0000
From: Bill Cochrane <bc1961-AT-xtra.co.nz>



Comrades
James Heartfield writes
>>Of course it is. Malecki, Heartfield and Boddhisatva are all racists.
>
>Oh look really! This is grotesque. I am not going to be called a racist
>by anyone. If contributors to this list cannot make an argument without
>resorting to slander and abuse then there is no possibility of rational
>discussion.
>
>Where are the moderators?
>-- 
In answer to your question, right here. I agree; calling people fascists, 
racists is not productive at all from the point of view of rational 
discussion. Perhaps unwisely I have not had much to say about such 
conduct as I have felt that the aggrieved are more than capable of 
defending themselves and I have no wish to patronize anyone by playing 
the over protective big brother.This said however I feel its a sad 
reflection on otherwise intelligent individuals that they feel the need 
to bolster their arguments with with gratuitous personal 
insults.Attempting to stigmatize opponents positions with out addressing 
their substance is to sad to even merit contempt.
I have, apart from the one sided superfluous mud slinging, followed the 
debate concerning indigenous peoples and their rights as apart from any 
intellectual curiosity the subject is of great and current moment in New 
Zealand. In this I have a tendency toward James's position as I feel that 
much of the left fall into a an unwise romanticism concerning  a whole 
range of  anti capitalist struggles, perhaps because of the failure of 
the soviet union an overly optimistic view of things soviet has been 
replaced by a melancholic nostalgia for mythologized precapitalist 
societies. Sadly much of what passes for struggles by indigenous peoples 
is largely commercial in nature with the indigenous component being  a 
discursive ploy. By this I mean that 'struggles for indigenous peoples 
rights' frequently amount to little more than the struggle by highly 
undemocratic traditional elites to reestablish control over both property 
rights and the lives of whatever people make up their 'nation'.Having 
achieved one or both of these goals they act in a manner 
indistinguishable from capitalist firms and with scant regard for the 
bulk of their 'nation' who continue to live in poverty and desperation 
because welfare 
activity 'does not form part of our core business' as a local tribal 
elder once remarked to me. 
Returning to the topic of gratuitous personal attacks I say to those 
miscreants who indulge themselves in this activity to desist or be gone. 
Otherwise I will wreck horrible electronic vengeance on you. 

Bill Cochrane
Moderator Marxism Thaxis

"For godly, righteous and sober Thaxalien discourse!"



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