From: glevy@PRATT.EDU
Date: Mon Oct 29 2007 - 18:08:02 EDT
> Why do you think "no one in their right mind would argue with a person > over such a claim"? > > Why should this kind of assertion "close(s) off discussion"? Hi Ian: It's sort of like a "Do you beat your spouse?" question. Once you say that someone's perspective is petit-bougeois then the other person is going to either cease conversing with you or throw back something similar in your face (e..g. "My perspective isn't petit-bourgeois, yours is!"). Either way it effectively closes off the possibility of meaningful dialogue and just (perhaps unintentionally) ratchets up the rhetoric. > But it would be incredibly naive to think that social theories are > independent of class interests, and also somewhat censorious to > suggest that such links should not be mentioned or discussed, which > seems to be your wish. It's not "somewhat censorious": you weren't told you couldn't make such connections. I simply highlighted some problems in communication with doing so. Go ahead and knock yourself out. I doubt very much, though, if Gary or Ajit or others are going to defend their perspectives from the charge that it represents the class interests of the petit-bourgeoisie. I'm not making a particularly profound point here, but I hope that you grasp it. In solidarity, Jerry
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