"anarchist destruction"

[Paul Mackin]

On 9/9/2012 12:17 PM, Markekohut wrote:
> Here's another very circumstantial, very dicey reason I agree with those against a belief byTRP in "anarchist destruction".
> during those crucial years of the late sixties, the intellectual worlds--of major mags and journals,etc.---were full of articles about resistance (to the System) w violent vs. non-violent
> Among much else. remember Frantz Fanon? the Weathermen? Of course you do.
>
> This  wanna-be "intellectual" --me--first read The Posessed---and lots a stuff about the Russian revolutionaries Dostoevsky knew of and wrote about.   Of which the emergence of violence was key.
> I first learned of Conrad's books on anarchists by lit crit essays, newly published , at the time.
>
> so, admittedly, this might only prove massive projection skills,but I also know TRP is a genius
> And was In touch with the Zeitgeist this way in ways I can't even get AND I also cannot believe
> He came down on the side of violence.
>
> Sent from my iPad
>

"Anarchic destruction" is a state of mind more than anything else, isn't 
it?  No one's suggesting actual violence. That would involve killing 
people.  That wasn't the zeitgeist in '68 around where i was.

I was already a middle aged adult in the late 60s and had no contact 
with the youths themselves.  I did know a number of new leftists of 
Pynchon's cohort.   They had no resemblance whatever to early 20th 
century Russian revolutionaries--not a violent bone in their bodies. 
They might turn over police cruisers if opportunity presented itself, 
but not much more.  I loved what they were doing-- anything to annoy 
Nixon, whom I had loathed since his smarmy early postwar Southern 
California days. I went along with them on many demonstrations including 
the march on the Pentagon. .  Always had a flask with me to ward off 
embarrassment for being so old.  I was in total sympathy, until a 
reckless few (not my friends)  started doing very dangerous 
things--blowing up buildings and such. But all they wanted was  to 
topple the system without killing anyone.  How naive to think it could 
be that simple.

P