[sixties-l] Fwd: Re: Where Will Critical Culture Come From?

From: radman (resist@best.com)
Date: Wed Jan 24 2001 - 17:13:04 EST

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    >Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2001
    >From: Doug Burn <dougburn@home.com>
    >Subject: Re: Where Will Critical Culture Come From?
    >
    >At 05:48 PM 1/23/2001 -0800, you wrote:
    >>Blue Jay Way
    >>
    >>Where Will Critical Culture Come From?
    >>
    >><http://www.dissentmagazine.org/archive/wi00/berman.html>
    >>
    >>by Marshall Berman
    >
    >I found the piece fascinating an evocative but the author of Adventures in
    >Marxism forgets that there were two schools of critical culture back in
    >the 60s and the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the others
    >that triumphed were the wet blankets of the age.
    >
    >Have we forgotten the Merry Pranksters, Fire Sign Theatre, Paul Krassner
    >(The Realist), Timothy Leary, Robert Crumb et al?
    >
    >I don't recall the New Left (yeah, they were called 'New' back then)
    >involved in any Be Ins or doing much street theatre.
    >
    >The SDS, in particular, evolved into a very intolerant group that was best
    >known on campus in the early 70s for shutting down the 'critical culture'
    >of any group that failed to share their hard line agenda.
    >
    >The prospects of a 'critical culture' revival (something I'd support) will
    >require a renewed commitment to free speech and tolerance of dissent and
    >eccentricity. I see nothing remotely like that in the actions of the
    >anti-globalism demonstrators. Like the SDS, they appear to be more
    >interested in shutting things down than opening things up.
    >
    >What's needed, in my opinion, is greater openness and spontaneity, a
    >willingness to stir up debate without a predetermined agenda as to who
    >must win.
    >
    >Those are my two cents worth (1.35 cents Canadian)
    >
    >Doug Burn, Toronto



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