From: egnilges@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Ed Nilges)
Newsgroups: misc.legal
Subject: Re: What is an intellectual?
Date: 13 Sep 92 21:18:12 GMT
Organization: Princeton University
Originator: news@nimaster

In article <MICHAEL.92Aug30021110@paul.bu.edu> michael@paul.bu.edu (Michael Chaplin) writes:
>
>  =No, Charles, I don't see.  I don't pretend to be an intellectual;
>                              ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>  =instead I'm an American citizen who last time I checked had both the
>   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>It's very interesting: the last time I read about "intellectuals"
>holding a status different from the citizens of their country, it
>concerned the Cultural Revolution of China. Before that, it was
>about Hitler's consolidation of power in Germany.

Oh for Pete's sake...what an elementary logical mistake.  The post does
not imply that the set of all [American] intellectuals, and the set of
all American citizens, are disjoint.  It implies instead that the set of
American intellectuals is a proper subset of the set of all citizens.
It claims that it is possible to be a citizen and not an intellectual,
not that it is possible not to be an intellectual and not a citizen.

Nor does the post claim a superior status for intellectuals.  I have a
certain respect for intellectuals but I don't believe that they should
be granted special favors; the reverse is true in America.
Intellectualism, ESPECIALLY in intellectual fields, is suspect.  The
fact that this contributes to deindustrialization is ignored.

>
>   
>   =Charley and the Tedster: Jean Paul, you scumsucking idiot, Stan
>   =Musial played baseball!  You is no intellectual, dat's for sure!
>                             ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
>Ed, Ed, Ed, I'm afraid that this, coupled with your prior statements
>can only be interpreted as showing that your not-yet-realized hatred
>of persons of African heritage is expressing itself. Your projection
>of this hatred onto "intellectuals" (an obvious substitute bogeyman,
>given your obvious feelings towards your own latent homosexuality-
>something, I might add, you really shouldn't be ashamed of) is only
>a further sublimation of the guilt you no doubt secretly experience
>for the metaphorical mass-murder which you commited by failing to
>log in and read the news. (I shall leave the interpretation of the
>act of failing to log in as an exercise for the student.) Your
>trivialization of African-American speech patterns only belies
>your self-hatred. This was no doubt caused by viewing some sort
>of racist-laden message in your youth- perhaps you saw Amos 'n' Andy
>once? In any case, it has scarred you, shamed you, and angered you.
>You need help, Ed. Please seek it, before your self-hatred consumes
>you.

The sample is more old-time Brooklynese.  African-American speech,
especially in the realm of insult and word-play, is far more creative
than this, and your own racism makes you fail to see this.  
Your attempt at psychoanalysis is flattering, in the sense of imitation
being the sincerest form of flattery, but feeble.  I also note the
closeted homophobia, which uses the Fifties homophobe's charge of
"latent homosexuality" (dear chap, how do you know I'm not a screaming
drag queen?) but immediately puts it "sous rature" in Derrida's sense in
order to establish au fait credentials.  This closeted homophobia, which
dare not speak its name, is similar to postmodern racism which in one
breath gives blacks no redress and denies that it is racism.
>
>Yours most sincerely,
>Chaplin.
>(I should hasten to add, though, that I will not press charges for
>your failure to respond to oh-so-many honest questions- though you
>may yet feel guilty for "killing" them.)

As one who could post that the sun will rise in the west and would be
flamed from Hell to Huddersfield for so declaring, I feel rather sorry
for lonely hearts lacking my reputation for marginal views.  
I try to save bandwidth by replying only to representative posts and I 
have at times inadvertantly insulted people who believe their views 
are unique when in actuality, they are not.  I hope that I have 
brightened your day.
>
>
>
>--
>===========================================================================
>Michael Chaplin                    Language is a virus from outer space.
>michael@albert.bu.edu                     - William S. Burroughs
>
>The Einstein Papers Project        The opinions contained herein reflect
>Boston University                      neither those of the project, 
>Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.          nor those of Albert Einstein.
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