Re: OPE-L

["Marcus Strom" <MSTROM@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Well, well

I find all this discussion on secrecy and confidentiality quite
silly. Sure, I can understand that you want to keep the list to a
manageable size. But you could at least release the discussions for
those of us not worthy of access to your hallowed ivory tower. Or,
are you going to work away like a bunch of medaevil alchemists,
develop the marxist philosophers stone and then let us mortals know
about it at your convenience (after the next book you publish)?

Really. This is the height of bourgeois academia when "publicly
available archives would inhibit discussion". What amazingly
controversial things are going to be said? Is that next promotion
going to be compromised on the way to department head? Or are you
poor wall flowers afraid of a bit of criticism as your ideas develop?
You know revealing that the god-professor is fallable isn't that bad,
and may actually help you formulate your (and our) ideas.

This method is antithetical to marxism and to revolutionary practice.
Are your debates to serve the liberation of humanity and the
overthrow of class society, or to hone the skills of a few political
economist academics to help them pay off their fucken mortgage.

What is the point of such a list?

If you can't even have your hallowed debates in front of this
audience, a limited, fairly priveliged bunch of (mainly) blokes, how
is this going to advance the conquest of political power for the
working class. We should have our debates in front of as many people
as possible (hence the necessity of communist organisation and
publications) - and not produce sterile correct line publications
(like socialist worker). Are us workers too stupid or something?

> Date:          Wed, 17 Jan 1996 21:02:45 -0500 (EST)
> From:          glevy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject:       Re: OPE-L

> Chegitz Guevara wrote:
>
> > But are you archiving it????
>
> Yes, all posts are being archived. However, the archives are only
> accessible to list members. I believe that, given the composition of the
> list, publicly available archives would inhibit discussion.
>
> Eventually, I anticipate that we will release more information on list
> discussions to other Net mailing lists, e.g. with an electronic journal
> or discussion bulletin. Stay tuned. We haven't decided yet.

When your holinesses' of the political economy priesthood make up your
minds, don't even bother telling us.

With baited breath (NOT!)

Marcus


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