22-08-2013, 04:25 PM
Charles Drago Wrote:"All those political practices and arrangements, deliberate or not, which are usually repressed rather than acknowledged." -- Peter Dale Scott's definition of "deep politics."
For me, the key word in Scott's construction is "repressed." In the lexicon we commonly use here, the word has a relatively narrow meaning. Here's my shot at it:
"REPRESS: v. To keep data hidden from public access to prevent the discovery of illegal political acts and to protect the individuals and systems responsible for and benefiting from them."
The acts of keeping private certain aspects of a political campaign ... would not rise (sink?) to meet the definition of deep political acts unless they were undertaken to hide "illegal" campaign activities.
A campaign has every right to view as proprietary, and thus withhold from public scrutiny, its legal and appropriate television advertising strategy. In doing so it would not be "repressing" that information, but only preventing it from being used by opponents to gain an unfair advantage.
If, however, said strategy included efforts to circumvent FCC rules and regulations and/or use illegally obtained funds, then the act of hiding those efforts would qualify as repression.
You may justly infer that I don't have any problems whatsoever with Scott's definition. I heartily invite comment on my reasoning as detailed above.
I remain uncomfortable with, if not opposed in principle to, rewriting the very definition of deep politics upon which this forum was founded. Further, if we are to challenge Scott on this matter, we should make every reasonable effort to engage him -- publicly and/or privately -- in the process.
Keep in mind that Scott himself perceived the need to re-think his earlier "parapolitics" concept, the process out of which deep politics emerged.
If we are to attempt to tinker with his current work, then it will be incumbent upon us not merely to reword it, but rather to improve upon it.
To reiterate: At this point I'm comfortable with what we have.
Charles Drago
Co-Founder, Deep Politics Forum
If an individual, through either his own volition or events over which he had no control, found himself taking up residence in a country undefined by flags or physical borders, he could be assured of one immediate and abiding consequence: He was on his own, and solitude and loneliness would probably be his companions unto the grave.
-- James Lee Burke, Rain Gods
You can't blame the innocent, they are always guiltless. All you can do is control them or eliminate them. Innocence is a kind of insanity.
-- Graham Greene
Co-Founder, Deep Politics Forum
If an individual, through either his own volition or events over which he had no control, found himself taking up residence in a country undefined by flags or physical borders, he could be assured of one immediate and abiding consequence: He was on his own, and solitude and loneliness would probably be his companions unto the grave.
-- James Lee Burke, Rain Gods
You can't blame the innocent, they are always guiltless. All you can do is control them or eliminate them. Innocence is a kind of insanity.
-- Graham Greene