Re: White privilege and other matters
Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2021 7:27 pm
A place where escape goats go to play
https://notplanetrugby.com/
That whatever the symbol, racists will still complain about it.
But it’s not for the racists, it’s for everyone who wants to stand up to the racists.sockwithaticket wrote: ↑Tue Jul 13, 2021 7:42 pmThat whatever the symbol, racists will still complain about it.
If they choose to stand on one leg rather than kneel, racists wil still find a way to take issue with it and boo it in grounds.
Therefore why bother changing it?
I understand why it's been adopted - taking a lead from American resistance and trying to show uniformity of purpose/solidarity with the cause - but I also appreciate a sentiment for changing it. Quite aside from any association with BLM as an organisation (rather than the sentiment), kneeling instinctively feels like a submissive act and the wrong sort of gesture for standing up to something.
Agree in general to the definition you use for post modernism (I always smile when the definition is written down, as it reminds me it is supposed to be hyperskeptical, which is a self defeating proposition, but that’s an aside).Tichtheid wrote: ↑Tue Jul 13, 2021 6:31 pm
Just so as we can establish some common ground regarding the terms, and in order that we are talking about the same things, perhaps you could outline some tenets or a definition of Postmodernism?
Then the same with Marxism
I'll start, among other things Postmodernism is about scepticism, irony, ambiguity, deconstructionism, self-reference, it denies universal truths, objective reality and materialism.
Marxism ain't that, at all.
I think Jordan Peterson saw that a couple of French guys were Marxists in the 60s and made some great big leap, with which he made a million bucks a year from desperate people on Patreon.
It's a bit like Scientology.
Random1 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 13, 2021 9:08 pmAgree in general to the definition you use for post modernism (I always smile when the definition is written down, as it reminds me it is supposed to be hyperskeptical, which is a self defeating proposition, but that’s an aside).Tichtheid wrote: ↑Tue Jul 13, 2021 6:31 pm
Just so as we can establish some common ground regarding the terms, and in order that we are talking about the same things, perhaps you could outline some tenets or a definition of Postmodernism?
Then the same with Marxism
I'll start, among other things Postmodernism is about scepticism, irony, ambiguity, deconstructionism, self-reference, it denies universal truths, objective reality and materialism.
Marxism ain't that, at all.
I think Jordan Peterson saw that a couple of French guys were Marxists in the 60s and made some great big leap, with which he made a million bucks a year from desperate people on Patreon.
It's a bit like Scientology.
The one thing I would add is post modernism highlights that social constructs are pivotal in terms of power and ultimately oppression.
That’s the core aspect that I feel links Marxism to post modernism; that there is a social construct that causes a power imbalance, which is subsequently reinforced and exploited by those in power. In Marxism the construct was class, in post modernism, it is anything wielding power (hence its current favourite target being the western white patriarchy )
The stuff Jordan Peterson bangs on about I agree is fanciful. His view that post modernism was designed as a means of sneaking Marxism under the radar is not something I subscribe to.
When I said that there are philosophical links I meant as a progression of the philosophy in an evolutionary sense. Without Marxism, I’m not sure we’d have post modernism, just as without Kant, you don’t get post modernism.
That make sense?
That’s nowhere near the most profound difference for me. The biggest difference in my mind was that Marxism was/is touted to be scientific, and therefore provable objectively. Post modernism completely rejects that proposition.Tichtheid wrote: ↑Tue Jul 13, 2021 9:26 pmRandom1 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 13, 2021 9:08 pmAgree in general to the definition you use for post modernism (I always smile when the definition is written down, as it reminds me it is supposed to be hyperskeptical, which is a self defeating proposition, but that’s an aside).Tichtheid wrote: ↑Tue Jul 13, 2021 6:31 pm
Just so as we can establish some common ground regarding the terms, and in order that we are talking about the same things, perhaps you could outline some tenets or a definition of Postmodernism?
Then the same with Marxism
I'll start, among other things Postmodernism is about scepticism, irony, ambiguity, deconstructionism, self-reference, it denies universal truths, objective reality and materialism.
Marxism ain't that, at all.
I think Jordan Peterson saw that a couple of French guys were Marxists in the 60s and made some great big leap, with which he made a million bucks a year from desperate people on Patreon.
It's a bit like Scientology.
The one thing I would add is post modernism highlights that social constructs are pivotal in terms of power and ultimately oppression.
That’s the core aspect that I feel links Marxism to post modernism; that there is a social construct that causes a power imbalance, which is subsequently reinforced and exploited by those in power. In Marxism the construct was class, in post modernism, it is anything wielding power (hence its current favourite target being the western white patriarchy )
The stuff Jordan Peterson bangs on about I agree is fanciful. His view that post modernism was designed as a means of sneaking Marxism under the radar is not something I subscribe to.
When I said that there are philosophical links I meant as a progression of the philosophy in an evolutionary sense. Without Marxism, I’m not sure we’d have post modernism, just as without Kant, you don’t get post modernism.
That make sense?
A postmodernist view is that class is dead or meaningless, that is probably the most profound example of why the two are completely incompatible, but they have been conflated by those that don't seem to understand either.
Random1 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 13, 2021 9:53 pm
That’s nowhere near the most profound difference for me. The biggest difference in my mind was that Marxism was/is touted to be scientific, and therefore provable objectively. Post modernism completely rejects that proposition.
The class thing is just a relatively minor category substitution.
I’m referring to classical Marxism - more specifically, base leading to superstructure and exploitation by the powerful of the powerless.Tichtheid wrote: ↑Tue Jul 13, 2021 10:14 pmRandom1 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 13, 2021 9:53 pm
That’s nowhere near the most profound difference for me. The biggest difference in my mind was that Marxism was/is touted to be scientific, and therefore provable objectively. Post modernism completely rejects that proposition.
The class thing is just a relatively minor category substitution.
We haven't agreed on a definition of Marxism yet, but I'm not getting a sense of an understanding of it here.
Random1 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 13, 2021 10:42 pmI’m referring to classical Marxism - more specifically, base leading to superstructure and exploitation by the powerful of the powerless.Tichtheid wrote: ↑Tue Jul 13, 2021 10:14 pmRandom1 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 13, 2021 9:53 pm
That’s nowhere near the most profound difference for me. The biggest difference in my mind was that Marxism was/is touted to be scientific, and therefore provable objectively. Post modernism completely rejects that proposition.
The class thing is just a relatively minor category substitution.
We haven't agreed on a definition of Marxism yet, but I'm not getting a sense of an understanding of it here.
Obviously Marxism is much wider than that, but those are the main elements I feel are antecedents of post modernism.
Not really.Random1 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 13, 2021 9:08 pm
Agree in general to the definition you use for post modernism (I always smile when the definition is written down, as it reminds me it is supposed to be hyperskeptical, which is a self defeating proposition, but that’s an aside).
The one thing I would add is post modernism highlights that social constructs are pivotal in terms of power and ultimately oppression.
That’s the core aspect that I feel links Marxism to post modernism; that there is a social construct that causes a power imbalance, which is subsequently reinforced and exploited by those in power. In Marxism the construct was class, in post modernism, it is anything wielding power (hence its current favourite target being the western white patriarchy )
The stuff Jordan Peterson bangs on about I agree is fanciful. His view that post modernism was designed as a means of sneaking Marxism under the radar is not something I subscribe to.
When I said that there are philosophical links I meant as a progression of the philosophy in an evolutionary sense. Without Marxism, I’m not sure we’d have post modernism, just as without Kant, you don’t get post modernism.
That make sense?
You were the one who brought it up
it's defined as the battle between those who produce and those who own. This is distilled down into a battle of the classes; the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.Rinkals wrote: ↑Wed Jul 14, 2021 4:34 amNot really.Random1 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 13, 2021 9:08 pm
Agree in general to the definition you use for post modernism (I always smile when the definition is written down, as it reminds me it is supposed to be hyperskeptical, which is a self defeating proposition, but that’s an aside).
The one thing I would add is post modernism highlights that social constructs are pivotal in terms of power and ultimately oppression.
That’s the core aspect that I feel links Marxism to post modernism; that there is a social construct that causes a power imbalance, which is subsequently reinforced and exploited by those in power. In Marxism the construct was class, in post modernism, it is anything wielding power (hence its current favourite target being the western white patriarchy )
The stuff Jordan Peterson bangs on about I agree is fanciful. His view that post modernism was designed as a means of sneaking Marxism under the radar is not something I subscribe to.
When I said that there are philosophical links I meant as a progression of the philosophy in an evolutionary sense. Without Marxism, I’m not sure we’d have post modernism, just as without Kant, you don’t get post modernism.
That make sense?
Isn't Marxism about ownership rather than class?
Which has a particular meaning in an American context, but kneeling has an extensive history and present as a submissive gesture, so I understand a certain amount of cognitive dissonance around it being use to protest. All the examples I can think of from my own life, have been related to status/submission. Kneeling in church to pray (before the atheism kicked in), kneeling at cubs before the pack leader during the grand howl, kneeling for sports coaches when being addressed so that they know you were focused on them.
sockwithaticket wrote: ↑Wed Jul 14, 2021 11:09 amWhich has a particular meaning in an American context, but kneeling has an extensive history and present as a submissive gesture, so I understand a certain amount of cognitive dissonance around it being use to protest. All the examples I can think of from my own life, have been related to status/submission. Kneeling in church to pray (before the atheism kicked in), kneeling at cubs before the pack leader during the grand howl, kneeling for sports coaches when being addressed so that they know you were focused on them.
Elsewhere and more generally there's obviously the PM and those being knighted kneeling before the queen. Getting down on one knee when proposing.
Not that a gesture can't have more than one meaning, but this one has such an ingrained association with submission, at least to my mind and surely those of others.
I'd be quite in favour of standing up straight flicking the Vs, though that might be tricky to get on before the watershed
I understand where you're coming from, but to me that's also part of the meaning. It should make people uncomfortable as it is demonstrative of black people's status in society - that they are still treated as lesser in some ways, not through law, not always necessarily through conscious act, but through the structures and habits of society.sockwithaticket wrote: ↑Wed Jul 14, 2021 11:09 amWhich has a particular meaning in an American context, but kneeling has an extensive history and present as a submissive gesture, so I understand a certain amount of cognitive dissonance around it being use to protest. All the examples I can think of from my own life, have been related to status/submission. Kneeling in church to pray (before the atheism kicked in), kneeling at cubs before the pack leader during the grand howl, kneeling for sports coaches when being addressed so that they know you were focused on them.
Elsewhere and more generally there's obviously the PM and those being knighted kneeling before the queen. Getting down on one knee when proposing.
Not that a gesture can't have more than one meaning, but this one has such an ingrained association with submission, at least to my mind and surely those of others.
I'd be quite in favour of standing up straight flicking the Vs, though that might be tricky to get on before the watershed
Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Wed Jul 14, 2021 12:01 pm It was non-cooperation that did for the Raj rather than the non-violence. If you wanted to make an equivalent here it would be players refusing to play and deleting their social media.
To be honest one of the best things for society right now would be for twitter in particular but all public social media to be shut down.
Completely agree - Marx saw everything through the lens of class. Which is consistent with postmodernism (PM for ease!) ie PM doesn’t just think class is a construct, it believes everything is a construct and people see things through whatever lens their social construct dictates. The class lens is therefore dismissed the same way all other lenses are dismissed it’s not unique that I’m aware of?Tichtheid wrote: ↑Tue Jul 13, 2021 11:05 pm
Well, class is absolutely central to classical Marxism, whereas postmodernism rejects the theses of political and economic class, insisting instead on power being a social construct, I could go on but the main criticism of postmodernism is that it's wordy and almost meaningless in itself, it paints itself into a corner of epistemological meltdown.
Random1 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 14, 2021 9:23 pm
The linkage between the two, as I’ve mentioned above, is that they both believe a construct (base) is inherent , this then ends up in a social framework (superstructure), which becomes political in nature, resulting in real world power dynamics. And that ends in the oppression of the people not holding power. That’s not a casual similarity for me, the thought process is too consistent.
Agree with that tweet, my first thought was ‘Rashford you cunt’ - couldn’t care less about his colour as completely irrelevant (I save that for bad taste camping shop type jokes)Hugo wrote: ↑Tue Jul 13, 2021 7:48 pm Re. all the England football racist stuff I saw a tweet yesterday where someone said "If the first thing you thought of after the penalty misses was the colour of the players skins there is something wrong with you".
I agree with the condemnation of the racist abuse (obviously) but I find the sentiment in the aforementioned tweet pretty deluded. Win, lose or draw the narratives surrounding the outcome of the final were always going to centre around race given the commitment the team has to anti racism, the kneeling and indeed the ethnic makeup of the team. I find it somewhat disingenuous to suggest that noticing race is all of a sudden perverse when it has been so central to the identity of the team and the way it has been covered in the media.
Yeeb wrote: ↑Thu Jul 15, 2021 8:58 amAgree with that tweet, my first thought was ‘Rashford you cunt’ - couldn’t care less about his colour as completely irrelevant (I save that for bad taste camping shop type jokes)Hugo wrote: ↑Tue Jul 13, 2021 7:48 pm Re. all the England football racist stuff I saw a tweet yesterday where someone said "If the first thing you thought of after the penalty misses was the colour of the players skins there is something wrong with you".
I agree with the condemnation of the racist abuse (obviously) but I find the sentiment in the aforementioned tweet pretty deluded. Win, lose or draw the narratives surrounding the outcome of the final were always going to centre around race given the commitment the team has to anti racism, the kneeling and indeed the ethnic makeup of the team. I find it somewhat disingenuous to suggest that noticing race is all of a sudden perverse when it has been so central to the identity of the team and the way it has been covered in the media.
Some boo the knee as it’s mixing politics with football , lineker et al with their righteous posts is deemed when when politicians doing it is wrong and opportunist apparently. Huge double standards in what is and isn’t acceptable and by whom.
But I did laugh at that Manc savills nobhead getting arrested , totally serves him right.
Fundamentally disagree with a couple of things in there.Tichtheid wrote: ↑Thu Jul 15, 2021 8:04 amRandom1 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 14, 2021 9:23 pm
The linkage between the two, as I’ve mentioned above, is that they both believe a construct (base) is inherent , this then ends up in a social framework (superstructure), which becomes political in nature, resulting in real world power dynamics. And that ends in the oppression of the people not holding power. That’s not a casual similarity for me, the thought process is too consistent.
Post modernism is all about interpretation, nothing is inherent, there is no objective reality. It (post modernism) has been taken up for political purposes and smashed together with Marxism repeatedly until both ends are flat, then they hold it up and say, "see, they fit together"
We could just as easily say that Conservatism is all about the individual take on things, it has far more in common with post modernism in that regard than Marxism does, likewise the major religions have more in common with it than Marxism (though it's a bit of stretch, I'll grant you, but no more than Marxism)
Again, I go back to some looking at a couple of French guys in the 60s, such as Derrida, who identified as politically Marxist, and that scares teh shit of of people, whereas in France it was no big deal to be a member of the Communist Party, especially back then, the mayor of the village I lived in was in the Communist Party - no biggie.
I'm not an academic, but on various rugby forums I have contact with those who are, and post modernism isn't seen as being any kind of force in Academia any more, either in literary theory or political theory. It will still have a place in art museums, but so will Impressionism.
Post modernism is just a label, a bogie man, that the Right use to spread fear. It doesn't seem to be manic here in the UK, but we do follow a lot of what happens in the States.
What a great story.Tichtheid wrote: ↑Thu Jul 15, 2021 12:04 pm I just read a tweet which made me follow up on the story of how the "taking a knee" started. I didn't know this, it came about after a dialogue between Kaepernick and a former Green Beret who also had a tiny bit of NFL experience.
https://www.skysports.com/nfl/news/1211 ... nate-boyer
Yeah, there was a couple of pages on it back in the thread somewhere.
Random1 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 15, 2021 9:29 pmFundamentally disagree with a couple of things in there.Tichtheid wrote: ↑Thu Jul 15, 2021 8:04 amRandom1 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 14, 2021 9:23 pm
The linkage between the two, as I’ve mentioned above, is that they both believe a construct (base) is inherent , this then ends up in a social framework (superstructure), which becomes political in nature, resulting in real world power dynamics. And that ends in the oppression of the people not holding power. That’s not a casual similarity for me, the thought process is too consistent.
Post modernism is all about interpretation, nothing is inherent, there is no objective reality. It (post modernism) has been taken up for political purposes and smashed together with Marxism repeatedly until both ends are flat, then they hold it up and say, "see, they fit together"
We could just as easily say that Conservatism is all about the individual take on things, it has far more in common with post modernism in that regard than Marxism does, likewise the major religions have more in common with it than Marxism (though it's a bit of stretch, I'll grant you, but no more than Marxism)
Again, I go back to some looking at a couple of French guys in the 60s, such as Derrida, who identified as politically Marxist, and that scares teh shit of of people, whereas in France it was no big deal to be a member of the Communist Party, especially back then, the mayor of the village I lived in was in the Communist Party - no biggie.
I'm not an academic, but on various rugby forums I have contact with those who are, and post modernism isn't seen as being any kind of force in Academia any more, either in literary theory or political theory. It will still have a place in art museums, but so will Impressionism.
Post modernism is just a label, a bogie man, that the Right use to spread fear. It doesn't seem to be manic here in the UK, but we do follow a lot of what happens in the States.
Things are clearly inherent in postmodernism, that’s precisely what a social construct is i.e. some characteristic that is bestowed by the societal lens through which you see the world. Whether that be western cultural lens or through a patriarchal lens.
The parallel you draw with conservatives and the individual is also a common misconception of PM. Pm is collectivist, not individual in its philosophy. The fact that it logically ends up at individualism is actually one of a series of contradictions in the philosophy.
I think that even drilling down here we are still trying to show "well established" links from Marxism to Postmodernism, and it isn't so easy, one could just as well argue that the Enlightenment was a precursor to Marxism and if we are saying, as you did previously, that even though PM is at odds with Marxism in very fundamental ways, it is a precursor -
We could equally say that without Descartes, Hume, Spinoza (now there is a head fuck of a thinker), Rousseau etc we wouldn't have Postmodernism.
I see that fairly regularly now tbh, amongst some of our younger staff members. On email sigs or screen names etc. I'm entirely comfortable with it.
Having a fairly common unisex name, I've never found it makes that much difference in direct communication You'll either be referred to by name or in the second person. It's most relevant when talking about someone not in the conversation and 3rd person references are more likely to arise. Even then, them/their or the person's name are usually perfectly sufficient from a grammatic standpoint if you're not sure about using any of the gendered pronouns.TheNatalShark wrote: ↑Fri Jul 16, 2021 11:36 am Having a unisex name depending where in the world you are, maybe I should do the same.
They'll still spell my name wrong mind.
Unless they prefer not to be gendered and ask to be referred to as they.