Paul,
Re:
>If it is invalid, and if I have completely failed to take account of the
>reality of critical geography, then I am completely in error. My criticisms
>are entirely mistaken, my views are entirely wrong. Considering that no-one
>else makes similar attacks on crititical geography, then the conclusion must
>be, that there is nothing substantially wrong with it.
>Well then, that is simply the end of the matter, is it not?
Don't be like that mate - The forum is robust enough to survive your
contributions - hey some of them are even intellectually stimulating and
useful - because - of their extremely different perspective.
Nevertheless you do sometimes 'come across all wrong'
- Recently I've been thinking about current and past dirty tricks campaigns
in southern Africa and I must say - it did cross my mind that there might
be something in the idea -posted a few weeks back - that 'PaulTreanor.com'
is some sinister consortium designed to throw left leaning email groups
into bitter recriminations and infighting. Certainly some of the things
you say seem to have been designed to display all the hallmarks of dirty
tricks tactics - akin say, to the state sending commandos to blow up the
printing press of the non-state controlled/anti government newspapers, and
then leaving a note supposedly signed by the an opposition splinter group,
claiming that the paper was misrepresenting the opposition party (see your
Zimbabwean newspapers for details on this one).
My only reason for finally dismissing this possibility is that states
usually save their energies for attacking organizations that they perceive
to be a genuine and imminent threat. Even with your contributions Paul,
CGF doesn't yet represent such a threat as far as I can see. And that
seems to be your point too.
Perhaps then it's just a question of style - perhaps your contributions are
just unnecessarily aggressive and dismissive (dare I say: overly masculine)
- rather than facilitating the thinking of others through insightful critique.
Yes we all need shaking up from our comfortable academic tranquility once
in a while. But at the moment your approach just has people turning off
their TV sets.
I don't know, maybe its me - but I just never found the best way to
motivate and galvanize people was to insult them or wind them up.
Interestingly, this is a method sometimes used in the armed forces.
So keep the contributions coming Paul - but - on a purely practical level -
if you want people to hear you - don't shout at them.
Cheers
Mike Kesby
Uni St Andrews
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