<![CDATA[Grist - Comment Feed for Free the radicals]]> Grist Comment Feed en Comment #1 by David Roberts http://www.grist.org/article/free-the-radicals/ Tue, 23 Nov 2004 08:23:04 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/free-the-radicals/1 Framing, propaganda, vision, tomato, tomahto

Todd, excellent post.  Very well said.

(One side note: Will & Grace was not meant to stand as an example of effective gay activism, or any kind of gay activism, or any kind of "model." It is safe, non-threatening, middle-mind-friendly pap. But that's my point: It's now possible for a show about gay people to be anodyne. That doesn't cause progress, it is not in itself progress, but it reflects progress.)

I think this talk about "moving left" or "moving right" or "moving to the center" is misleading -- it's certainly not what I'm advocating. I don't think the old left-right political spectrum is very effective any more in helping us understand where we are as a country or as a movement. We live in a postmodern, post-ideological age.  (I highly recommend everyone read

]]> Framing, propaganda, vision, tomato, tomahto

Todd, excellent post.  Very well said.

(One side note: Will & Grace was not meant to stand as an example of effective gay activism, or any kind of gay activism, or any kind of "model." It is safe, non-threatening, middle-mind-friendly pap. But that's my point: It's now possible for a show about gay people to be anodyne. That doesn't cause progress, it is not in itself progress, but it reflects progress.)

I think this talk about "moving left" or "moving right" or "moving to the center" is misleading -- it's certainly not what I'm advocating. I don't think the old left-right political spectrum is very effective any more in helping us understand where we are as a country or as a movement. We live in a postmodern, post-ideological age.  (I highly recommend everyone read

]]> Comment #2 by gormanme http://www.grist.org/article/free-the-radicals/ Tue, 23 Nov 2004 23:33:22 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/free-the-radicals/2 Radicalism

Sometimes it helps to get back to the basic meaning of words when discussing whether a term, or in this case a movement described by a term, is relevant in today's world.  The original meaning of the word radical comes from the latin word for root.  So the term really refers to someone or something rooted.  In the case of environmental "radicalism" I would suggest that a true radical is rooted in the truth of what it means to live connected to the earth and to other creatures, including the rest of humanity (Will and Grace included).  I would think that Aldo Leopold would be a good example for us of a "radical" in the original sense of the word.  If we switch the framework of the discussion to promote the "rooted" nature of radicalism, then radicals are not the ones far removed from reality.  Rather, radicals are those rooted in the basics or ecological connectedness, and it is society as a whole that is moving away from our roots toward ecological disaster.  --  Mark Gorman

]]> Radicalism

Sometimes it helps to get back to the basic meaning of words when discussing whether a term, or in this case a movement described by a term, is relevant in today's world.  The original meaning of the word radical comes from the latin word for root.  So the term really refers to someone or something rooted.  In the case of environmental "radicalism" I would suggest that a true radical is rooted in the truth of what it means to live connected to the earth and to other creatures, including the rest of humanity (Will and Grace included).  I would think that Aldo Leopold would be a good example for us of a "radical" in the original sense of the word.  If we switch the framework of the discussion to promote the "rooted" nature of radicalism, then radicals are not the ones far removed from reality.  Rather, radicals are those rooted in the basics or ecological connectedness, and it is society as a whole that is moving away from our roots toward ecological disaster.  --  Mark Gorman

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