MDMD (5) Colonization of time

[Doug Millison]

Excellent point about trivializing slavery. The idea that our participation
in "commerce" is "voluntary" seems to me a bit more problematic. Opting out
of this system is possible, so in that sense it might be called
"voluntary", but the hurdles that must be overcome to do so are
substantial, including, but not limited to, breaking through a lifetime of
cultural conditioning shaped by pervasive if not all-powerful political and
media systems that work their way into our deepest cellular representations
(neuronal, or maybe synaptic is the better word?) of ourselves and our
relationships. The forces that impress us into the system are irresistable,
and breaking free of "addiction" (used in the sense of Gerald May's book,
"Addiction and Grace") to them may even require supernatural assistance --
of the sort Pynchon gives Mason & Dixon, through their various
other-worldly experiences (Rebekah's ghost; Dixon's adventures) for
example.

Cordially,
Doug

At 6:04 AM 8/7/97, Monte Davis wrote:
>Commerce is indeed a powerful system, but a voluntary one. To forget that
>is to trivialize not only the plight of real slaves, past and present, but
>our own ability -- however rarely exercised -- to choose how far to buy
>into it.



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