What an odd post, Roddy.
On Sun, 13 Apr 2003, Roddy Lumsden wrote...
>I look forward to Alison Croggon returning, seeing as her decision to leave
>following an increasingly off-topic squabble (in)conveniently crossed with
>the more pertinent points I made regarding her unwarranted comments on Ruth
>Padel, which she readily repeated (albeit paraphrased)here.
The only thing Alison repeated here was an abstract comment about "the
kinds of manipulations they [women poets] might feel necessary in order
to be acceptable." My ancient Concise Oxford (the nearest dictionary to
hand) has two possibly relevant definitions for 'manipulate':
1. handle, treat or use, esp. skilfully (a tool, question, material,
etc.)
2. manage (a person, situation, etc.) to one's own advantage, esp.
unfairly or unscrupulously
It seems clear to me that the second of those uses is pejorative, and
the first one isn't. I can't tell from what Alison said here whether she
was using 'manipulation' in the first sense or the second. Unless there
was considerably more of a specific nature that Alison said in whatever
other place it was, I'd respectfully suggest that there may have been a
misunderstanding here, and that Alison may have been using the term
'manipulation' neutrally or approvingly, while you and Ruth interpreted
it as having a negative connotation.
> I can't imagine
>anyone here finds any justification for Alison's remarks.
From what's been reported here, I can't see anything to disapprove of.
You've *asserted* that she made unwarranted comments, but haven't given
any evidence. I'm experiencing severe cognitive dissonance here: I know
you to be a decent sort of chap, and I know Alison to be fair-minded and
intellectually honest. The only way I can resolve the dissonance is to
assume there's been a misunderstanding.
>I look forward to an apology which I can pass on to Ruth who found
>the suggestions hurtful.
It seems odd to request an apology from someone who isn't here to read
that request. Wouldn't it have been better to have waited until Alison
returned?
Regards,
--
Peter
http://www.hphoward.demon.co.uk/poetry/
|