Don't you find yourself torn between the need to continue with the
important things in your own life: to prepare for the next task in your
profession, on one hand, and, on the other, the enormous human tragedy,
amplified with the deeply troubling political conditions in this country
and in so many other parts of the world?
I have a vivid feeling of a deja vu: a common feeling like I felt during
the wars in Yugoslavia. How can one think of the nuances of the activity
theory when people are dying in a tragedy? How can one continue
discussing differences and subtle similarities between philosophical and
linguistic theories of meaning, when the future of the judicial system
is at stake and the people in power look like people who usurped the
power of all decent values of this country? Does our theoretical
understanding of human cognition, give us any clue how to act in a
crisis like this to help people organize, mobilize and overcome the crisis?
Peg, thank you for this wonderful ramble. I just read an article in the
NY Times about the same thing.
At the same time, I am trying to prepare an analysis of a fairy tale by
H.C. Andersen for a conference in Belgrade a week before Sevilla.
Stepping from one to the other world is not an easy thing these days.
Ana
Peg Griffin wrote:
>It's about discourse and taking advantage of difficulty with memory
>retrieval.
>
>The weekend shrub blitz (including Condoleeza allegedly coming home to
>Alabama to help) reeked of the authorship of Karl Rove.
>As soon as that came into my mind, I realized the shrubs had successfully
>interfered with my ability to remember. I could not recall that last awful
>thing we should still be trying to hold Rove accountable for. I could not
>grab it from memory storage; the hooks to it were obscured. Yes, I remember
>badly and yes more so as I get older. But manipulating and amplifying
>natural and individual processes for cultural mass effect is exactly what
>the shrubs, and especially Rove, are so adept at.
>
>Then I saw a news article exposing Rove's roll and verifying my analysis.
>It was quite clear that Rove was back in DC and the shrub moves in the gulf
>were governed by the political calculus Rove does so effectively.
>But nothing nothing nothing in it gave a hint of what I couldn't remember.
>
>It would have been off the point, losing focus, rambling for people to
>identify that relevant thing about Rove.
>
>They couldn't write about the woman from the CIA who's married to the man
>who bucked part of the shrub story about weapons of mass destruction. They
>couldn't repeat that her name and identity as CIA had been leaked to a
>newspaper. They couldn't put in that this is the one thing involving Rove
>that might support legal action and trim the shrub a bit.
>
>If we don't keep on that track about Rove, the shrubs are more likely to be
>able to continue to prey upon us.
>
>Is this an example of what is meant by discourse type demands supporting the
>status quo and contributing to the manipulation of the populous?
>
>This is why I like so much the IF Stone book on the Hidden History of the
>Korean War. A ramble.
>Peg
>PS Cyndy Sheehan's bus tour stops here for a little bit tonight. Less time
>preparation than the first support vigil for her but maybe more folks! I
>hope and think.
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>xmca mailing list
>xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
>http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
>
>
>
>
>
_______________________________________________
xmca mailing list
xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sat Oct 01 2005 - 01:00:11 PDT