>In other words, I think the argument is misplaced --- let's argue >about endogenous preference formation and how it leads the market to >(among other things) provide too much of goods with negative >externalities, too little "public" goods, and (perhaps) too much >grease, sugar, and tobacco. > > >Bill All this is going to come into very sharp focus in my next post on the Blackfoot. It turns out that the Whiskey trade was instrumental in leading to their downfall, just as opium was to the Chinese. The problem with discussing preferences for Coca-Cola (originally made with cocaine), tobacco, alcohol, sugar and coffee in the abstract is that this is of little interest to Marxists. Political economy is supposed to be what interests us, not what is "politically correct." This is LM territory and is pretty low-level. Cockburn has been drifting into this territory himself with curmudgeonly complaints about campers versus hunters. He thinks hunting is great. I mean really who gives a shit. (Sorry, Don Roper.) I think one of the reasons that Doug is obsessed (well, nearly obsessed) is that he runs a radio show at WBAI, the local Pacifica station. This god-damned station would turn anybody into a cigarette-smoking, MacDonalds eating, Hustler reading fanatic. The station broadcasts heart-on-the-sleeve appeals 24 hours a day on behalf of vegetarianism, animal rights, East Timor, Mumia, spirituality, New Age hokum, farmworkers, etc. And it is all EXTREMELY BORING. The station purged all the "personalities" about ten years ago and I stopped listening. Nowadays I am a big fan of WFMU, a college station that plays nothing but obscure rock-and-roll. Late at night they feature "Death Metal," an interesting genre in which the lead vocalist always sings in a guttural roar. The topics of the songs are usually about worshipping Satan's penis or impaling kittens on a pitchfork. Meanwhile, I think Doug leads a sheltered life. One of these days I am going to drag his hedonist ass over to South Africa and let Pat Bond take us out on a trek into the wilderness. No hot showers, no morning coffee, no WFMU. We will observe Zebras in their habitat, play the guitar and watch shooting stars at night. Louis Proyect (http://www.panix.com/~lnp3/marxism.html)
