Just a few thoughts on recent postings on the cgf.
By and large I agree with Lawrence Berg's comments on being
cautious in the tone adopted on this list. It seems reasonable that
we should do our best to avoid offending each other.
However, it is also a bit unfortunate that an important debate
(radical political economy etc.) became bogged down in issues
centred on the tone of expression, rather than the issues
themselves. Debates may occasionally become heated and
contributors may become angry over certain issues and, while this
is not a license to offend, it seems to me we need to be careful
that in our desire (quite rightly) to be inclusive, we don't stifle
important debates.
As another contributor has pointed, out the disembodied mode of
communication may, in part, be a cause of misunderstanding. I
actually interpreted both David Crouch and Mike Kesby's
contributions as genuinely humorous (although i can see why
others might have construed them differently).
More broadly, I am a little concerned that few (if any) postings in
the past week or so have been about 'critical' issues such as the
continued destruction of Chechnya by Russia, the WTO in Seattle,
apparent US/British bomb attack on a school in Iraq (reported in a
very small article in yestersay's 'Guardian'), New Labour's
continuing moves towards ever more draconian law and order
legislation (and many other issues). The list has been pre-occupied
with concerns over how we talk to each other. While this may be
important, an external observer might be forgiven for seeing it as
somewhat self-indulgent. At the risk of exaggerating things slightly,
is there not a danger of mirroring the contemporary drift of politics
(in Britain at least) towards an emphasis on how things are said
(style) over the actual content of what is being said (substance).
The above is offered in a 'critically constructive' (or is it
'constructively critical') spirit.
Best wishes,
Dave
Dr. David Storey
Geography Department &
Centre for Rural Research
University College Worcester
Henwick Grove
Worcester WR2 6AJ
England
Tel: 01905 855189
Fax: 01905 855132
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