Eminem (was: Influenced by GR?)

[jporter]

> From: "jbor" <jbor at bigpond.com>

> Both Terrance's spiel and your words appeared to address the same topic,
> viz, race relations in America. It seems to me that trying to imply that
> slavery and racial discrimination in the United States are somehow mythical
> is on a par with the Holocaust denials of that German professor.

Little bit of a non sequitur (for lack of the correct rhetorical term)
there, rj. Addressing race relations in America is not synonymous with
trying to imply that slavery and racial discrimination are somehow mythical,
let alone, deny the Holocaust. What's your purpose?
 
> 
> More power to Freedom House of course, but the problem is that, on a global
> scale, G-8 and such aren't really "democratic" at all.

So? I referred you to Freedom House, not the G-8. Is this an example of
"free association?"

> Sorry to call
> statistics into play again (rather than the cosmic verisimilitude of pi, of
> course), 

             ???.?????????.......

>but what percentage of the world's population is black? And, tell
> me, what percentage of G-8 were black? There seems to be a rather alarming
> disparity to me.

Again, what does that have to do with Freedom House?


>> Don't gauge my level of cynism by whether or not I think there's a chance
>> Pynchon will be widely read by the masses.
> 
> No, it was your parting sally which earnt the label.
> 
>> And maybe that's for the best given the
>> nature of things.
> 
> In other words, there's no hope ... we/they're not worth it ... so let's
> just let everything be ...
> 
My "parting sally" was the same as my opening: There is no chance that
Pynchon is going to be widely read and appreciated by the masses of any
color, or even economic status. But at least in democratic societies (or
relatively so) there is access and the hope of being read, by anyone.

In general, he is much more adept at writing about and for the elite, or the
elect, in the Pynch's universe. The question of predestination looms and is
intimately involved in the dynamics of western european racism as it has
evolved and jumped to colonial domains, but I'm not sure it's resolved
within the text. Questions like how the elect handle their anti-dilemma
w/r/t the preterite is exquisitely examined, and of course, the finale of
Lot 49- How will Oedipa/Pauline, hovering on the cusp between election and
preterition, cope with the Revelation of I's will and testament- all  seem
constructed with the psyche of the thoughtful member of the elect in his
sights, imo.

jody