It's not fascist, it's socialist!
Bertell Ollman wrote:The comedian and political activist, Dick Gregory, said, "If democracy is such a good thing, let's have more of it". Seems obvious enough, and that certainly would increase the opportunities for people to cooperate and enjoy the psychic benefits that come with it. But what kind of society is it that "extends democracy into all walks of life"? According to Norman Thomas, a Protestant minister and one-time leader of the American Socialist Party, that's the best possible definition of "socialism". Could it be that the deepest, most hidden, and most profound meaning of basketball, one that underlies and helps explain its contradictory functions as miseducation and utopian ideal, is—socialism? Unfortunately, few of the people who love teamwork in basketball, which hides their desire for more cooperation in life, which in turn calls for the spread of democracy throughout society, are likely to admit that what they really want—and need—is socialism. For them, the term has been too sullied by the caricatures of socialism found in a few Third World countries, which were too poor for socialist relations to take root, and in our own capitalist media (and what other kind of media are there?), whose owners are too rich to tell the truth on this subject. But if the deepest meaning of basketball is—socialism, then why not exchange the term "socialism" in our discussion of what to do for the term "basketball"?
Our goal? To make all of life as interesting, as fair, as cooperative and as much fun as basketball, whose rules and mode of play would then serve as excellent education for life in such a society. Our motto? "Basketball players of the world unite; you have nothing to lose but your coaches, your bosses and your landlords". Now there's a game—and a world—worth celebrating.
https://www.nyu.edu/projects/ollman/docs/basketball.php
Posted: Mon May 05, 2014 3:24 am
