activism and disinterest (r)

[msinclai@xxxxxxxxxx]

>From: John Morton <john@xxxxxxxxxx>
>
>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
>>
>>
>>

Mr. Morton,

Please explain to me why in your response to Mr. Tozzi's letter you fail to
address the substance of the question and instead attack the character of
the man? It was hardly an intelligent response, don't you agree?

Mr. Morton, certainly you would agree that your attack is an act of
violence against another person, against the very existence of a person.
And certainly you have to agree that as an activist concerned about Burma,
you are working, I assume, to diminish violence among the people in that
country. Now, please explain to me how violence in Burma is different from
the violence in your attack against Mr. Tozzi. Do you see the
contradiction?

Mr. Morton, don't you think you were wrong? Shouldn't you offer a public
apology to Mr. Tozzi?

Let us all, please, not perpetuate the problem in our own lives.


---MSD