From: James Devine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Subject: [PEN-L:11632] re: "the Beats" > > > Not to beat this into the ground, but Barbara Ehrenreich wrote a book which > > I believe is titled HEARTS OF MEN, which argues at length that the Beats > > criticized family institutions (using both theory and practice) in a way > > that exempts themselves from responsibility of helping raise children, > > etc., without criticizing the inequalities of power in the usual family. > > Barbara's a fine lady but invoking her authority on this > topic . . . you might as well ask Hillary Clinton. As for > what the Beats didn't talk about, you might as well > indict the entire pre-1972 left for male chauvinism. > What does that have to do with, say, the merits of > William Z. Foster? > > I don't recall whatever the criticism of family institutions in > the Beats. I would say any such implied criticism was > founded on a bigger dilemma, namely the moral and > spiritual wreckage of society writ large -- the foundation > for deformation of family relationships. > > It's also a little silly to criticize 1950's gays for failure to > build nuclear families, since they were barely permitted > to exist openly as individuals in the first place. > > > I must admit I only glanced at the book, so if anyone has corrections I'd > > appreciated them. > > Only these few. > > Cheers, > > Max > > > "People say I'm arrogant, but I know better." > > -- John Sununu > > =================================================== > Max B. Sawicky Economic Policy Institute > [EMAIL PROTECTED] 1660 L Street, NW > 202-775-8810 (voice) Ste. 1200 > 202-775-0819 (fax) Washington, DC 20036 > http://epn.org/sawicky > > Opinions above do not necessarily reflect the views > of anyone associated with the Economic Policy > Institute other than this writer. > =================================================== Response: We see all sorts of retrospectives by the left such as "The Real History of the Atom bomb" or the Real History of... But we find little retrospective about the "real" left...(Again I do not include the Beats). So why is it we can critique everything but ourselves? I remember vividly, and was also part of the "left" where males acted like "working class heroes" while treating women like shit. All these male revolutionaries had so much compassion for Vietnamese, or African Americans or whatever, yet the women were relegated to the usual "women roles" (Go get the coffee honey, I'm busy doing class struggle) and we males often didn't see the glaring contradictions between our words/sympathies versus deeds. It is not enough to just say well that was then, now is now; often we see the same patterns evident in the left today. Again, even disregarding lifestyles for a moment, what exactly did the Beats do/talk about of real substance that really mattered to anybody other than someone teaching some esoteric poetry course? Just as not ideas are equal, so not all contributions/contributors are equal. My last comment on this issue [I was just writing what I felt] and I can hear the cheers, is that these so-called "Beats" represent exactly what the neoclassicals attempt to model as all human propensities: atomism, selfishness, egoism, narcissism, self- indulgence, intensely competitive (under unique guises), ultra-hedonism, ultra-individualism, ability to cynically calculate and "rationally" calculate ends and means, patriarchal, insolated, elitist ( often guised)... I think most of them were legends in their own minds and in the minds of a few seekers who link being "counter- culture" or freaky with automatically being revolutionary. Jim Craven *-------------------------------------------------------------------* * "Those who take the most from the table,* * James Craven teach contentment. * * Dept of Economics Those for whom the taxes are destined, * * Clark College demand sacrifice. * * 1800 E. Mc Loughlin Blvd. Those who eat their fill, * * Vancouver, Wa. 98663 speak to the hungry, * * (360) 992-2283 of wonderful times to come. * * Fax: (360) 992-2863 Those who lead the country into the abyss,* * [EMAIL PROTECTED] call ruling difficult, * * for ordinary folk." (Bertolt Brecht) * * MY EMPLOYER HAS NO ASSOCIATION WITH MY PRIVATE/PROTECTED OPINION *
