[Marxism] Yankees
Americans like to think in terms of first causes. This is due to their historical grounding in the bible (the word of God). Once they have established a principle, they like to follow it to its ultimate conclusion, however grotesque the results. That's why they have guns (because of the right to bear arms), the death penalty (he who lives by the sword, dies by the sword) and no health care (a guy must work heard to earn his living, health is not included, BECAUSE health is a matter of personal choice). That's why 90% of Americans believe in God, as compared to 45% of European people. The Americans are decidedly anti-dialectic. They are rigid, uncompromising and tough. And therefore, they LOVE the law. The constituion says this ... The constitution says that ... Such and such a legal thing means this ... Authority means this ... Civil rights means that ... They are a nation of lawyers. And such a mindset is so easy to manipulate. You just need Fox news and CNN. Just lead people from first causes to logical conclusions. Polanski had sex with a minor thirty years ago... ERGO... He must be sentenced in California... ERGO... he must be extradited... ERGO... And what about the fat cats who feed themselves while poor people starve ? That is not news-worthy. Nobody is asking for Obama to be trialed for crimes against humanity. That just doesn't fit with the American mindset. YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Yankees
From: Daniel Koechlin d.koech...@wanadoo.fr The Americans are decidedly anti-dialectic. And that statement isn't? A European here, and I'm not convinced the distinction is quite as you put it. Though maybe a useful way to think about it is the distinction between procedural and distributive justice. And yet I think these analyses of culture tend to be a bit, if not anti-dialectic, certainly non-materialist. A culture is not an expression of some national absolute spirit in development or some such, but it must derive from material causes. Not so? --David. YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Yankees
Daniel K. wrote: Americans like to think in terms of first causes. This is due to their historical grounding in the bible (the word of God). Once they have established a principle, they like to follow it to its ultimate conclusion, however grotesque the results. That's why they have guns (because of the right to bear arms), the death penalty (he who lives by the sword, dies by the sword) and no health care (a guy must work heard to earn his living, health is not included, BECAUSE health is a matter of personal choice). That's why 90% of Americans believe in God, as compared to 45% of European people. The Americans are decidedly anti-dialectic. They are rigid, uncompromising and tough. And therefore, they LOVE the law. The constituion says this ... The constitution says that ... Such and such a legal thing means this ... Authority means this ... Civil rights means that ... They are a nation of lawyers. And such a mindset is so easy to manipulate. You just need Fox news and CNN. Just lead people from first causes to logical conclusions. Polanski had sex with a minor thirty years ago... ERGO... He must be sentenced in California... ERGO... he must be extradited... ERGO... And what about the fat cats who feed themselves while poor people starve ? That is not news-worthy. Nobody is asking for Obama to be trialed for crimes against humanity. That just doesn't fit with the American mindset. YawnTell us something we don't know...Preacher Man. If you want to preach to the converted, you better have something to say, otherwise you're just filling the space with dead air. Greg McD YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
