15025: Vishnusurf: RE: 14984: THomas: RE: Hermatin: Miami Herald-Amid Turmoil, Haiti....

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: VISHNUSURF@aol.com
----------------------------------------

This debate is NOT useless.  Mr. Thomas has obvioulsy never read James
Scott's
pertinent book DOMINATION AND THE ARTS OF RESISTANCE, which contains a
brief
but provocative analysis of carnival suggesting that carnival is actually
a
tool of oppression because it acts as a "pressure valve" that allows the
downtrodden to let off steam and speak freely for a few days... just long
enough for them to NOT rise up and resist the status quo in concrete ways,
and
to get through another year.  in marxist terms, carinaval is thus a
serious
obstacle to revolutionary praxis.  did you ever wonder why, Mr Thomas, it
is
elites and governments who finance carnival?  don't believe for a minute
that
they expect a return on their investment from tourism in haiti.

It is similar to Cedras paying a load of money for the rights to broadcast
the
world cup during the summer of 1994... we had electricity also in
Port-au-Prince for 2 weeks straight.  another "pressure valve".

So, what kind of "answer" is carnival, Mr. Thomas?  i'd like to hope that
you
were being sarcastic...