The Punditry of the Times→

A great, albeit short, analysis of New York Times op-ed absurdity.

Bryan Klausmeyer

Does Liberalism Have a Usable Past?→

Something of a “part two” to the earlier piece on the Short History of American Liberalism. Eric over at the Edge of the American West has written a really brilliant post that outlines not only liberalism’s best accomplishments, but also its failures, and suggests what may be “usable” from its legacy (as the title suggests).

In 1918, Van Wyck Brooks challenged his readers to see American history as non-Americans see it. “Go to England and you will discover that in English eyes ‘American [history]’ has become, while quite as complete an entity as it is with us, an altogether different one.” I can say from personal experience it is true today. In England the history of the United States is the Revolution, the Crisis of Slavery, the New Deal, and the Civil Rights movement—the fulfillment, over time, of the liberal promises written in 1776, made good at last even to a people once considered chattels. And a nation of pasty young white people like it. Because it is a story of collective action in the name of justice, of triumph over obstacles, of right making might. A history of liberalism.

And it is a history that inspires young white people in America today, people young and unprepared to hedge and qualify. This generation unmarred as yet by such disappointments as accrued to the youth of the 1960s, is a generation prepared to believe and make use of that story, a generation who think it offers them hope.

It seems to me that liberalism’s biggest problem is that it concentrates too much on formal equality, on relying upon institutions to secure the “empty space” in which people have the ability to work out their conflicts in a non-violent way, rather than actual equality. There seems to be two underlying problems to this approach: (1) as Zizek argues, this empty space is never truly “empty,” it is always stained by some form of enjoyment, such as nationalism or consumerism; (2) and as Schmitt argues, these institutions are moreover depoliticizing in that they attempt to conceal the fundamental political antagonism within society.

I wonder, then, if there is some way to salvage liberalisms’ attitude of “collective action in the name of justice” and its sympathetic focus on those who are “Excluded” towards an “ethics of the Real” that does not attempt to gloss over either the ‘stain of enjoyment’ or political antagonism. Perhaps some kind of politics of aletheia, of unconcealment, in which pre-symbolic structures of society undergo a process of disclosure.

Bryan Klausmeyer

“Dooooddddddd!”→

Chris Dodd unleashes his fury, demanding that the Democratic presidential race come to an end! I, for one, agree with him.

Bryan Klausmeyer

Is This The Big One?→

The question asked by The Nation. I’m not so sure it is and neither are they, but Jeff Faux does a pretty great job of recapping all of the major issues at stake for people interested in the economic situation.

Bryan Klausmeyer

Ricky Gervais Blogs→

I’ve been reading the new Ricky Gervais blogs quite frequently. One is on his new film This Side of the Truth, and the second is on Karl Pilkington (see our linked list.)

As you would expect they’re hilarious so far, but I have to ask, what’s going on with his web design? Does he make it himself?

Actually it’s by a company called Plumplard, which seems to be capable of vector art and DVD packaging… why not throw in a redesign for Ricky?

Mark Elliot Cullen

Skiing with TSA→

The worst government agency in the world, TSA (Thousands Standing Around, ‘Take your Shoes off, Asshole,’ etc., etc.), may be bringing its new skiing-based theme to an airport near you. Be afraid, be very afraid. (Via The Consumerist.)

Bryan Klausmeyer 2 Comments

Short History of American Liberalism→

Where did American liberalism come from? American liberalism, as we knew it in the twentieth century, developed from the wide acceptance of an observation that capitalism, while wonderfully creative, does not regulate itself satisfactorily. Neat theories notwithstanding, capitalist economies, left to themselves, quite often idle at equilibria that a substantial minority, if not a majority, of citizens find unpleasant or even unendurable.

A summary for those who are a little behind. Is American liberalism just defined by managed capitalism? Now that I think about it, (or rather, now that the Edge of the American West thinks about it for me) there might actually be something to claims from people like John Kerry and Hillary Clinton who always prefer to call themselves “Progressives” when questioned about their liberalism.

See here– Progressivism as defined by wikipedia.

According to John Halpin, senior advisor on the staff of the Center for American Progress, “Progressivism is an orientation towards politics, It’s not a long-standing ideology like liberalism, but an historically-grounded concept… that accepts the world as dynamic.” Progressives see progressivism as an attitude towards the world of politics that is broader than conservatism vs. liberalism, and as an attempt to break free from what they consider to be a false and divisive dichotomy.

Of course if the “Original Observation” from the Edge of the American West was never accepted by the conservative movement, you essentially cannot come together to agree on social progress, because you essentially disagree on the concept of social progress. The dichotomy is concrete. One reason “Hope” might have a little trouble getting started…

Mark Elliot Cullen

Taming the Beast→

A decent piece by Krugman on the “economy.” He makes an important point about politicizing the issue of regulation this upcoming election, although I’m not so sure his other point about Iraq War spending benefiting the economy is all that true. I don’t have statistics either way, so I guess I’ll put it aside for now. I also liked this:

In truth, I don’t expect much from John McCain, who has both admitted not knowing much about economics and denied having ever said that.

Zing! Take that, Bill Kristol!

Bryan Klausmeyer

Errol Morris’ “Standard Operating Procedure”→

A new documentary about the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. Looks really good, and you can never really go wrong with Errol Morris. (Via Mike Soron, again!)

Bryan Klausmeyer

Gap in Life Expectancy Widens Between Rich and Poor Americans→

Troubling. You can view the graph here. (Via Mike Soron.)

Bryan Klausmeyer

GEO Members Authorize Two-Day Work Stoppage→

On Tuesday and Wednesday here at the University of Michigan there is going to be a two-day work stoppage for all GEO-affiliated graduate student instructors. You can read the PDF of the press release here. Students are encouraged to not cross the picket line. If you support GEO and live in Ann Arbor, you should also consider signing up for a picket shift here.

Bryan Klausmeyer