The Internet requires you to not only think on your
feet, but to be able to withstand heavy doses of sarcasm and bluntness.
These sensitive souls are just not up to it. That is why I have a lot of
respect for Brad DeLong even though I find his politics detestable. Even
though he is high up on the Berkeley totem pole, he is not above joining in
what Jim Blaut called our "food fights."
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You omitted the bit about masochistic pain threshold...
Again, this serves to highlight the complementarity of the internet, rather
than its properties as a substitute for print media. Not everyone has the
time or the inclination to engage in food fights that quickly descend into
distracting and distorting name-calling, such as that between me and Brad
last week. Indeed, it's a bit of macho bravado to assume that verbal valour,
however ill-considered, is the better part of discretion. Why are there so
few women on PEN-L, for instance? Are all of us food fighters tanked up with
too much testosterone? Jim's combative style might have been invigorating to
some, but it also served to distract from the substance of his arguments for
others. And it's as a serious scholar and committed activist (as opposed to
virtual brawler) that we want to remember him, isn't it?
Michael K.
