File spoon-archives/marxism.archive/marxism_1994/94-10-31.000, message 87


Date: Fri, 14 Oct 1994 11:19:47 PDT
From: Andrew Daitsman <adaitsma-AT-trincoll.edu>
Subject: Re: Wilhelm Reich


Anybody read the Nation this week?  Cockburn reported on a scholarly 
paper (can't recall author or journal) in which it was argued that the 
Italians used _coitus interruptus_ as a cultural means of resisting 
Mussolini's demographic policy.  Apparently, the Fascists had banned the 
sale of all forms of birth control, so self-control became the only 
remaining option.

I guess the thinking was that if Il Duce wanted us to have lots of kids, 
we're just not going to have any at all.  Cockburn wrote that the tricky 
part was ensuring that the woman got an orgasm, but didn't get pregnant.

Andy Daitsman

On Fri, 14 Oct 1994, Doug Henwood wrote:

> One extremely valuable thing about Reich (though it's been years since I 
> read the Mass Psychology of Fascism) is his argument that the left cannot 
> fight fascism (to use modern language) technocratically, or with reason 
> alone. It must be a bloody and lusty fight, since fascism is an 
> eros-tinged doctrine. In these days of rampant neofascism and bloodless 
> frightened lefties, it's somthing to learn from.
> 
> Reich did revise the Mass Psychology late in life, after he'd decided 
> that Ike had "good orgones," right?
> 
> Doug
> 
> Doug Henwood [dhenwood-AT-panix.com]
> Left Business Observer
> 212-874-4020 (voice)
> 212-874-3137 (fax)
> 
> 


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