Discussion opener for GRGR(10)

[Henry M]

My dictionary gives provides for pornography: porne=a prostitute
(gr=German!), graphein=to write(gr). So commerce seems to be built 
right into the word. 

I've always thought of the Beatles' "Come Together" when I read the
touching "I know there's coming together." All the self-gratification
talk (I just LOVE euphemism) has always made me think of Wilhelm
Reich, and more recently of Jocelyn Elders, the controversial recent
Surgeon General of the USA. Both recommended that masturbation be
taught, Reich stating that orgasm without pelvic thrusting didn't get
the orgone flowing right. (I agree with this.) Many of Reich's
personal journals were burn in the USA (it can't happen here) and he
was thrown in jail as a quack, where he died. (Recommend his son
Peter's book, forget the title, but I've got it around here
somewhere.) Jocelyn Elders was forced to resign.

It is, of course, in the best interests of the masters, that energy 
not flow freely. 

On  7 Feb 97 at 12:45, andrew at cee.hw.ac.uk wrote:

>  3) `Pornographies . . .' (155.19) Ok, I know we did this subject to
>     death (and yes I was peeking ahead when we did it)but note the
>     equation Rudy makes with `capitalist expression'. Is Pynchon
>     arguing that capitalism will create a market for (and thereby
>     debase, or perhaps it would be better to say translate its basis
>     to that imaginary standard the bank note - hell, even gold is
>     worth money these days rather than money being worth gold) a
>     market for any commodity, including love, thought, death etc. Or
>     is this Rudi's words, rantings betraying the obsessions of a
>     1920s (1960s?) Marxist.

My mother was of the sky... -- JL
My mother is the war...
Keep cool, but care. -- TRP
Moderation in moderation. -- Husky Mariner
Not having that, which having... :-(

http://www.nicom.com/~gravity