Re: bad poetry?

John O., suggesting that such does not exist, says of Luke that,
<< [He] implies that there other, more harmonious sorts of "debate
structures" that are somehow, I suppose, not political, not about power, not
enmeshed in rhetorics of desire, but harmonious because they are objective
and denote a "common human experience." >>

Luke spoke of participants in conversation -- in Dialogue -- who, rather
than being combative or dismissive or otherwise disrespectful, recognize
mutual learning and mutual necessity in such learning, participants who "see
themselves as in pursuit of similar truths." He speaks of discussion, even
of "debate," that is not antagonistic, not about power or winning, but which
is by deliberate necessity co-operative.

Maybe some of us are inclined to object to his use of such difficult words
as "objective" and "subjective," but what he seems to be pointing toward is
something that, though admittedly rather rare in comparison (especially in
certain circles), does, in fact, exist; and some of us do participate in it
regularly, and become disappointed when, as in those inevitable cases, it
degenerates into power and winning, into disrespect and minor, petty combat
where we cannot REALLY learn, however much trivia we gather.

It does happen. It's magical and sometimes too rare even where it is
nurtured, but it does happen. There are entire institutions built upon it
as a founding principle.

-robbie
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Received on Sat Jul 12 19:28:43 2003