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activism and disinterest



It is always interesting for me to read people like Mr. Tozzi. Whenever I
am discouraged and despairing of ever getting it together, of our group
ever achieving its goals -- beset as it is with human pettiness and
weakness -- these voices ex machina never fail to remind me of who I am,
and why I am an "activist". 

Tozzi and his ilk speak eloquently to us from the higher intellectual
ground of the "disinterested observer". They, unlike us messy humans, are
"pure scientists", able to dissociate themselves from the passions and
pain that impel "activists" to cry out against the arrogant inhumanity
that political and military authorities seem so prone to exercising. 

The fact is that Tozzi deludes himself. If he can find the foibles in
"activism" as practiced by American students in the 60's, or others in the
90's, he can undermine -- for himself, at least -- the threat that
"idealism put into practice" represents for his carefully constructed and
isolated world. 

But we are the same as you, Tozzi! The same desires, dreams, fears, and
weaknesses! Why be afraid of your true nature? You are just another human
being, poor soul! Activism is our *salvation*, Tozzi, not "merely" an
excuse for social interaction. (Although, God knows, social interaction
is one of the primary purposes of human existence. Or have Tozzi's social
scientists, in their white robes, "explained" that one away as well?)

John Donne said "no man is an island, onto himself", and we have found the
truth of that in the deepest recesses of our souls, Tozzi. Have you ever
visited your soul? Yes, we are weak, we slip, we fall, but as long as
we live, we will get up and go on toward our shining goal of peace and
harmony among the creatures of this planet. What else is there to do,
actually, other than delude oneself? Or to what do you attribute our 
motives, we "culturally blessed" who could earn much more money, live 
more comfortable lives, in a more "respectable" occupation? 

I know that I shouldn't be so hard on Mr. Tozzi, a political scientist. It
may seem farfetched, but even political scientists have been known to hear
that loud knocking on the door in the middle of the night. It happened
often in Russia not so long ago, and in Germany before that. Is America
immune? Pray, give us the vaccine, Tozzi, if you have it! Otherwise, spend
a day or a year in the trenches, talking to refugees who, except for the
color of their skin and the language they speak, are your brothers and
sisters, your mother, your grandmother -- they are you yourself, Tozzi! 

But never mind Mr. Tozzi. He is only feigning disinterest to himself; he
will join us eventually. Let's hope for his sake it's as an activist, not
as a victim. Tozzi frustrates me by his ignorance, but he doesn't
galvanize me to action. That is achieved by those who, overcome totally
with fear and greed, having lost all human instinct, treat their fellow
creatures with such violent abuse as to cause permanent disability or
death, and who do this in public, proclaiming themselves the "saviors" of
the nation. Such liars and their lies must be exposed, and overcoming the
indifference of our fellow humans by awakening their compassion for the
victims and their resistance to the perpetrators is our endless struggle. 

Welcome to Burmanet, Mr.Tozzi.


On 9 Oct 1995 tozzi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> I joined Burmanet not so much because I am troubled by the current state of
> affairs in Burma but because of the list's outstanding news summaries which
> I have found very helpful in my work on foreign policy.  I am not an
> activist, only a student with an interest in how the events in Southeast
> Asia relates to American foreign policy.  I am, however, becoming
> increasingly intrigued by the dynamic of the activist groups which I see
> developing.  The recent complaint by Ken and Visakha Kawasaki which I read
> today is an outstanding example of this dynamic.  Clearly the posting was a
> demand for credit which is not unexpected among professionals but which is
> rather disturbing when posted by activist groups as it leads one to believe
> that the motive for taking action is somehow impure.  Student activist
> groups have been tainted by such feelings for some time; a study of
> activism in the 1960s, for example, will demonstrate that many students, I
> would even argue the vast majority, did not really care about the issues
> that they were addressing and that the issues were merely a medium for
> social interaction among the students.  I wonder if this is becoming a
> problem for those who seemingly take interest in Burma.
> 
> 
> Gregory Tozzi
> 
> 
>