lawrence

Is there a way that I can have some other tag than "Crimethincker"? It makes me sad that I am associated that way with that tendency. Boo hoo.

Makhno

It's great to see that the new issue of AJODA is finally out! I haven't gotten my copy yet, but after reading Lawrence's editorial, I am left wishing that he had provided more specific examples of the abuse of language, lack of definitions, etc. that he is talking about. Give us the names!

aragorn

Makhno wrote:
It's great to see that the new issue of AJODA is finally out! I haven't gotten my copy yet, but after reading Lawrence's editorial, I am left wishing that he had provided more specific examples of the abuse of language, lack of definitions, etc. that he is talking about. Give us the names!

After re-reading the editorial and the comments I have to tentatively agree with you. This brings up a larger issue about critique, what makes good critique vs. what makes good gossip but the problem with not naming names (and I have a pretty good idea about who and what Lawrence is talking about here) is that it makes a really sharp critique only sharp to the people who know that they are talking about. There are no consequences.

The other side of this argument is highlighted by the 'Barbaric Thoughts' pamphlet from earlier this year. Anyone who knows, knows that there was a history of acrimony (and friendship) between the author and the subject of the critique but without that context the pamphlet (IMO) read like as much like a personal attack (or part of a back and forth) as an actual critique (I kept on asking myself... what is the background of this particular point?). The personal side of the pamphlet took away from the good critique.

The shitty part of naming names is that it is damn hard to not make it personal. There is a lot of history behind most every criticism you see in the anarchist press. Without developing that history, which is an onerous and clumsy task, the personal overshadows the general points.

Maybe a good next step here is to look at criticism done in the history of the anarchist press, radical thought, and non-radical thought for ideas of different approaches to this issue.

Aragorn!