Profit and loss

[jbor]

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>From: Doug Millison <DMillison at ftmg.net>
>

> Phil,
> Welcome to the P-list according to "jbor"!
> You've just demonstrated what it's been like for a lot of people to try to
> engage this voice in dialogue here on Pynchon-L over the past 2 years.
> That's why so many folks now choose to ignore most if not all of what "jbor"
> says, so as to avoid being pulled into these smelly swamps of smarmy
> dogmatism and flamebaiting.

Seeing as Phil hasn't had the courtesy to put this one to bed I certainly
will. The conversation between Phil and I ended very amicably offlist,
though I was and am still alarmed at the dismissive tone used towards me
onlist. But Phil's frustration was caused by the fact that I hadn't
addressed the political concerns he expressed in his original post, i.e.
that globalisation equals totalitarianism. Though under no compulsion to
address all or any part of any post/s, the reason I didn't address his
repetition of this false equation was because, as "received wisdom", it is
merely empty propaganda, as the recent round of Mayday protests here have
again illustrated. Whether or not the amassed thugs breaking stock market
and government office windows and assaulting police are actually lobbying
against low refugee intake quotas or genetically-modified foods or
environmental destruction or union disempowerment they have banded together
under the anti-globalisation banner and are in fact *serving the interests
of* extreme nationalist and corporate factions within the developed nations
who desire to retain current tariffs and levels of trade protectionism. And,
it is these trade policies which have been and are crippling the economies
of developing nations and which are the cause of the immense gulf in living
standards between the First and Third Worlds.

I think Doug's ongoing campaign of persecution, his attempts to enforce list
boycotts, his flip-flops on what topics are and aren't appropriate for
discussion, and his belligerent manner, speak for themselves. He is a petty
would-be tyrant.

best

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                Unless we convince developing
    countries that globalisation really does benefit them,
      the backlash against it will become irresistible.
      That would be a tragedy for the developing world,
            and indeed for the world as a whole.
                            (Kofi Annan, Seattle 30/11/2000)

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