Re: [Marxism] Redundant Pleonastic Tautology

[eiza segal <eizeiza@xxxxxxxxx>]

How bizarre that anybody would fail to catch the tone
of what you had written.Your irony, if anything, was a
bit too heavily underlined I thought....but don't fret
another minute about it .Your pupose was quite clear.
 What this altercation shows is that some folks are
either tone deaf or wilfully perverse.
Of course you could avoid the problem of being
misunderstood by writing very earnestly at all times
in simple sentences of no more than ten words; you
should also avoid attempts at colloquial and
metaphorical vivacity; avoid colourful
expressions,oblique references, drollery, irony,
indirect quotations, impersonations, appostrophe,
rhetorical questions and anything else that might be
taken for a scallywag provocation. Above all flee from
the temptation to satirise.
Good Luck.
By the way, the most astonishing example I've ever
seen of this phenomenon , occurred about 5 years ago.
She was a mature,female student who materialised one
morning in my lit class.(She was also German and bore
an uncanny resemblance to the sentimental old Nazi in
Mel Brooks'movie, The Producers). Anyway, she
expressed very vehement and unusual opinions about all
the books on the course at the time. Apparently
Orwell's 1984 depicted  a very orderly and attractive
society. Unfortunately it was being undermined by
troublemakers (e.g. Winston and Julia.) Furthermore it
would be very salutary if more young people today were
celibate and had to  "taste the sweet sting of the
lash". (These were her immortal words, not mine.) She
went on to deplore the character of Huckleberry Finn,
("no better than a shambling vagabond") and though I
never heard her opinion on whether Hitler was a better
dancer than Churchill, it was clear that her
"readings" would continue to be highly idiosyncratic
and that she would continue to resist the influence of
all of  arguments.

Probably the most famous example of misreading was
that connected with Jonathan Swift's Modest Proposal
.Have you ever read it? It is hard to believe that
anybody could ever have taken him literally. Yet
educated English gentlemen commended Swift for his
grand plan to solve the Irish problem by introducing
cannibalism to the island, preferably the eating of
Irish babies. "Yes, by Jove old chap, what a ripping
good idea! "
Personally, I agree with Trotsky in these matters.
Didn't he recommend a bit more irreverent humour and
satire against the ruling classes in our press ?
Didn't he remind us that the workers like a good
laugh?


Chris Brady <cdbrady@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> moi:
> > "We are all captains of our own destinies, though,
> aren't we?
> > Irrespective of poverty, gender, "race", class, or
> sexual orientation?"
> >
> > Perhaps I doth presume too much.  Sorry.  I meant
> that (the above) in a
> > sarcastic way.
>
> vous:
> "...people really don't need to hear you ambiguously
> sound off on
> topics of interest to them -- it better be worth
> their while, and I get
> the
> impression from you we're all just supposed to find
> this something like
> a cosmic joke and I opine against... -- I suspect
> you presume too little
> from your own case."
>
> me, again:
> I'll have to leave it up to others to decide who is
> more ambiguous in
> our dialogue so far, Mister Rubard.
>
> and again:
> My own experience over decades of activism led to my
> assumption that
> Marxists would realize immediately that statement
> was not only sarcastic
> but a barb pointed at the fatuous conservative
> elites who sternly
> advocate individual responsibility as solutions to
> social and economic
> problems, while smashing any state or public
> advances for social
> reconstruction that had been won by the working
> class.
>
> and again:
> I have endeavoured to explain myself in this matter
> as best I can.  If
> you require further assistance in the interpretation
> of my writings,
> please feel free to enquire.  I get the impression
> at times that we may
> be interacting at cross-purposes.  I cannot know
> your intentions nor
> question your motives, and I admit I am often
> mystified and confused by
> your messages, but I will do what I can to add
> constructively to our
> exchanges on this list.
>
> _______________________________________________
> Marxism mailing list
> Marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism


__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Search - Find what you?re looking for faster
http://search.yahoo.com

_______________________________________________
Marxism mailing list
Marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism