Hi Lawrence, Richard,
I've been engaged in fairly consistent debate with Richard in the wake
of the previous spat about racisim. My preference is that he make his
arguments to the list. I have encouraged him to do so. Even though I
now regret having done so, since he makes the same points as before in
as unintelligible and boorish a fashion.
I FULLY recognize that there are terms being brought into the
discussion that are hugely contestable (both in their definition and in
their application). Richard and I are diametrically opposed in our
political prospects. However it is my wish to ask the question posed by
the free radio station Radio Alice (part of the Autonomia movement in
Italy in the 1970s).. What is to be gained by preventing certain views
from being put? Yes, it's an old chestnut and I wanted broader list
discussion on the issue.
Is it simply the case that air becomes poisoned and that those who will
not articulate their anxieties need to be protected from hearing or
reading the views of those who they detest? Is it the way to try to
silence or to shout down those with whom one profoundly disagrees.
Ought they be banned from expressing their opinions? And so on . . .
the question does impinge upon poetry and poetics as it is clearly not
the case that
Richard clearly experiences certain opinions and lines of political
thought as an attack on something which he holds dear and feels
compelled to make counter broadcasts. I cannot understand his points of
view whatsoever, nor his terms of reference, nor his vocabulary.
However, within the human bounds of netiquette, which he does skirt
with flouting (sometimes more sometimes less) I, for one, am able to
tolerate his pain. I take his utterly pedantic pissing contest on typos
as a further expression of that btw. Richard you do yourself no favors
whatsoever by playing such ill-judged vacuous games of one-up-man-ship.
I have myself asked him direct questions as to his use of racism, for
example. Here he uses the term as if Ronald Reagan and those who
support him and value his contribution to history constitute a 'race'.
It is a proposition that I cannot fathom one iota.
I would encourage other opinions on the matter of those with the power
being requested to make 'him pull up his trousers and shut him up'. I
would also encourage those who would rather not receive opinions of a
particular ideological slant to set their filters accordingly.
love and love
cris
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