re Re: re Re: MDDM Washington

[Otto]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Doug Millison" <millison at online-journalist.com>
To: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Tuesday, July 02, 2002 4:41 AM
Subject: re Re: re Re: MDDM Washington


> What good does it do to reveal the absurdity of an institution if there's
> no action taken to change or eliminate that institution?
>

I don't see any calls for action. Even our heroes don't put pressure on GW
to give freedom to all of his slaves. And Dixon does not attack every
slave-master but an especially cruel one.


> Is the suggestion
> that Washington is aware of the absurdity and evil of slavery and that's
> why he treats Gershom as he does?
>

No, I did not have that thought. My question still is how all those
Americans could be that way, denying civil rights to Blacks from the
beginning up to now.

>
> That's precisely the failing that Pynchon
> seems to be pointing out in this portrayal of Washington that jbor insists
> is that of a  "benevolent" slave master -- Washington's slaves may have a
> better life in some respects than slaves owned by other masters (although
I
> have to wonder about the slaves Washington put to work digging that Great
> Dismal Swamp Company canal, that's hard, dirty work, and I also have to
> wonder what Washington did, if anything, about the slaves he owned who had
> been separated from their family members when they were sold into
slavery),
> but by not taking action against slavery itself, his personal attitude
does
> nothing to help the large numbers of slaves who suffered elsewhere in the
> American colonies -- including those slaves that Dixon risks his life to
> free.
>

That's the difference. Dixon has no land there, no further responsibilities,
no political & economical future plans to waste by being unreasonable.
Washington has.

Otto

> Otto:
> >The post-modern discussion of slavery of course includes the reversal of
the
> >master & slave hierarchy (to reveal its absurdity) as being done in the
> >presentation of Gershom, the smoking scene & the King George jokes.


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