Preface - Electronic Poetry Center

From: James Sherry
Subject: Re: Universal Blisters/Individual Burns
Having been through some graduate school, taught at NYU for a few years,
worked as an independent entrepreneur, worked as a capitalist lackey, done
manual labor painting outsides of high rises, written 10 books that made money
and 8 books (poetry) that lost money, published 75 literary titles, run a nonprofit
distribution service, worked for the city of New York, and since I am
always looking for work to do I figure I have failed at everything I have ever
tried to do. In the light of this experience which I do not wish to describe as
holier, simply that I have some direct experience of both sides of the fence that
is being disputed as well as other fences of the labor market not described, I
would expect that any honest look at the corporations and universities
described in your letters differ little from each other in their most important
respects. Generally universities treat workers worse and do less damage with
their output while corporations treat workers better in comparable positions, but
engage in risk taking to the extent that their output has a greater direct effect,
good and bad, on the society, environment, and individual lives. They make
together two of the many kinds of institutions we live with and any attempt to
denigrate either type of institution is both narrow and irrelevant. The risks of
corporate life now are great. The inability of universities to significantly amend
those risks is pathetic. Read today’s NY Times re: Bass & Yale.
Transnationalism is a fact. Can these discussions turn that situation around?
Can we add an accent to it that will increase the benevolence of our physical
and intellectual environment in an entire world? How do you expect to affect
it? What is your program? What cooperation does this group offer?