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Thursday, April 2, 2009

The Problem with Fidelity

Posted by on Thu, Apr 2, 2009 at 2:04 PM

I read this:

...[Glenn Beck's] 9-12 project [is] meant to conjure the spirit of compassion and camaraderie Americans felt on September 12, 2001.

"We weren't told how to behave that day after 9/11, we just knew," Beck says to describe the project. "It was right, it was the opposite of what we feel today. Are you ready to be the person you were that day after 9/11, on 9/12?"

Reading that made me think of this:
9966/1238706100-badiou.jpg
Alain Badiou! Is the 9-12 project not the same as the theory on being faithful to the event, fidelity to the founding or original moment/principles? The content of Badiou's project, of course, is not the same as Beck's. But the form is identical. With Badiou, fidelity to the event is a way of protecting and justifying the revolutionary moment, which was eventually betrayed or corrupted by leaders like Castro or Mugabe. You did not say that the revolution failed but that the leaders failed the revolution; and so what is important is the spirit of that moment. Beck is saying the same thing, but this time the moment is 9-12. He wants Americans to be faithful to that moment in the way Badiou wants the French to be faithful to the spirit of 1968.

 

Comments (14) RSS

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1
post moderzzznzzzzizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzgettingsleeeepyyyy
Posted by zizek on meth on April 2, 2009 at 2:34 PM
2
But none of these idiots can articulate what "the moment of 9/11" was. Fear? That's what they're selling, but it's not what they're talking about. If all they really meant was "trying to be more decent" no one would have a problem with it.
Posted by Fnarf on April 2, 2009 at 2:41 PM
3
But none of these idiots can articulate what "the moment of 9/11" was. Fear? That's what they're selling, but it's not what they're talking about. If all they really meant was "trying to be more decent" no one would have a problem with it.
Posted by Fnarf on April 2, 2009 at 2:41 PM
4
As I recall, most of the neocons were running around like chickens with their heads cut off, including Bush, on 9/12.

Seriously, this revisionist history is so lame ...
Posted by Will in Seattle on April 2, 2009 at 2:46 PM
5
You might be right if you weren't quoting Glenn Beck, and didn't know the context of that quote. That fucking douche bag is trying to pit "true americans" against all of us "evil americans" through a shitty attempt at claiming the grief of 9/11 as the property of the right-wing.

If he were truly wanting to return to the spirit of 9/12, he'd stop being such a blatant, divisive, partisan fear monger.
Posted by fuck-glenn-beck on April 2, 2009 at 2:48 PM
6
I think their conception of 9/12 is that everyone pulled together, was more patriotic, etc.. But, you're right Fnarf, if anything, "the person I was on 9/12" was defined by fear (and the flipside, relief that it wasn't a larger attack, that no one I knew died).

There was the fear of living in a big, target-laden city and of what was going to happen to the economy, but also of the ugly uber-nationalism of the type that Beck is going on and on about. I don't want to return to 9/12 and I don't understand why anyone else would either...
Posted by Julie in Eugene on April 2, 2009 at 2:50 PM
7
So are you saying that Alain Badiou is another paranoid ex-cokey Connecticut-mansion-owning Mormon who rants Monday through Friday on the Fox News Channel?
Posted by E on April 2, 2009 at 2:56 PM
8
screw the haters; this ongoing ironic examination of the Retarded Right by Slog as if they were a worthy intellectual rival or school of thought has been consistently hilarious so far
Posted by please don't stop now on April 2, 2009 at 2:56 PM
9
Oh my God - I was just wondering to myself - what might be the philosophical underpinnings of Glenn Beck's new movement? Then I thought - knowing Glenn Beck, he was probably deeply influenced - back when he was getting his Ph.D. in post-structrural deconstructionist mathematics at the University of Heidelberg - by the thinking of various French intellectuals of the post-de Gaulle era. And voila! Of course, thought I! Glenn is doubtless thinking of Alain Badiou!
Posted by bobbo on April 2, 2009 at 3:11 PM
10
Charles,
I disagree. To paraphrese Gil Scott-Heron "The revolution will not be realized". I agree with Edmund Burke whose noted observation regarding the French Revolution of 1789 was "Revolutions devour their children". I am glad the spirit of 68' is finally getting heavy scrutiny.
Posted by lark on April 2, 2009 at 3:16 PM
11
This was in my inbox this morning and I think it's very pertinent.

Glenn Beck is a seer.

=====

There was a Pied Piper who said, “We live in the greatest country in the world. Help me change it!”
*And the people said, “Change is good!”

Then he said, “We are going to tax the rich fat-cats,”…*And the people said “Sock it to them!”
“and redistribute their wealth.”
*And the people said, “Show me the money!”

And then he said, “Redistribution of wealth is good for everybody”
*And Joe the plumber said, are you kidding me?”

And Joe’s personal records were hacked and publicized.
*And one lone reporter asked, “Isn’t that Marxist policy?”

And she was banished from the kingdom!
Then someone asked, “With no foreign relations experience, how will you deal with radical terrorists?”

And the Pied Piper said, “Simple. I’ll sit down and talk with them and show them how nice we really are and they’ll forget that they ever wanted to kill us all!”

Then the Pied Piper said, “I’ll give 95% of you lower taxes.”
*And one, lone voice said, “But 40% of us don’t pay ANY taxes.”

So the Pied Piper said, “Then I’ll give you some of the taxes the fat-cats pay!”
*And the people said, “Show me the money!”

Then the Pied Piper said, “I’ll tax your Capital Gains when you sell your homes!”
*And the people yawned and the slumping housing market collapsed.

And he said, “I’ll mandate employer- funded health care for EVERY worker and raise the minimum wage.”
*And the people said, “Gim’me some of that!”

Then he said, “I’ll penalize employers who ship jobs overseas.”
*And the people said, “Where’s my rebate check?”

Then the Pied Piper actually said, “I’ll bankrupt the coal industry and electricity rates will skyrocket!”
*And the people said, “Coal is dirty, coal is evil, no more coal! But we don’t care for that part about higher electric rates.”

So the Pied Piper said, “Not to worry. If your rebate isn’t enough to cover your expenses, we’ll bail you out. Just sign up with ACORN and your troubles are over!” Then he said, “Illegal immigrants feel scorned and slighted. Let’s grant them amnesty, Social Security, free education, free lunches, free medical care, bi-lingual signs and guaranteed housing.”
*And the people said, “Ole`! Bravo!” And they made him King!

And so it came to pass that employers, facing spiraling costs and ever-higher taxes, raised their prices and laid off workers. Others simply gave up and went out of business and the economy slowed even further. Then the Pied Piper said, “I am the Messiah and I’m here to save you! We’ll just print more money so everyone will have enough!” But our foreign trading partners said, “Wait a minute. Your dollar isn’t worth what it was. You’ll have to pay more.”
*And the people said, “Wait a minute. That’s not fair!”

And the world said, “Neither are these other, idiotic programs you’ve embraced. You’ve become a Socialist state and a second-rate power. Now you’ll play by our rules!”
*And the people said, “What have we done?”

But it was too late.
If you think this is a fairy tale, open your eyes and ears. It’s happening RIGHT NOW!
Did you know the president’s name is really an acronym…

One Big Astounding Mistake America
More...
Posted by Lord Basil on April 3, 2009 at 2:20 AM
12
God, I can't wait for the day we become a socialist state....
Posted by catsnbanjos on April 3, 2009 at 4:42 AM
13
Republicans remember so fondly 9/12, when people were so in a state of panic, fear, and grief that they could do what ever they wanted.
Posted by Rob in Baltimore on April 3, 2009 at 6:52 AM
14
Awesome! #11 is implying that Obama is just like Hitler. Hooray for internet douchebags!
Posted by eric sic on April 3, 2009 at 9:43 AM

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