>Kelley wrote:
> > conditions on the battlefood
I'd like to put battlefood on your family! Kell's campaign slogan!
>'Saddam has weapons of mass destruction!' - even
>if this claim is true (and it probably is, at least to some degree), it
>is still false with regard to the position from which it is enunciated."
>-- Slavoj Zizek <http://www.lacan.com/iraq.htm>
>What was that old line from a poem about truth told with bad intent??
"Augries of Innocence"
My other favorite which I use in my work a lot is Joe Mantagna in _House of Games_. He's explaining to a psychoanalyst drawn into the world of hustlers and con men that the confidence game is about getting someone to give you their trust:
"The basic idea is this. It's called a _confidence_ game. Why? Because you give me your confidence? No. Because I give you _mine_."
But the thing about Mamet's films is that while they are _about_ con games, they are also a con on the audience. He gives the audience his confidence that we can discern the plot. The tempo, intonation, and rhythm of the dialogue and the minute focus on gestures, facial expressions give us the illusion that there must be something going on, we just have to follow along to find out what it is. We are so focused on _what_ the there that's supposed to be there is, that we miss Mamet's con. But, since it's a flattering con--I give the audience my confidence that they can follow the plot--we aren't offended.
As Lou astutely pointed out, while we are busy discerning whether any of this might mean an internal implosion for u.s. leadership, what we're not noticing is that no one is pulling out of the battle. Which is probably why Carrol wants us to stop jabbering about what might happen, what should happen, what is bound to happen. Yah?
Speaking of duping, _THIS_ has me shocked!
The polling report dude was on earlier this afternoon--with Judy Woodruff (CNN). He actually reported that, when you ask people about whether or not the war is going as they expected, some sort of whopping high % (60 something?) said they thought it was going well and another 10-20% (i couldn't hear--it's spring break and they're driving me insane!) think the war is going better than they'd expected.
Maybe this is just another spike phenom.--like rally around the pres. I sure hope so!
Sorry, I didn't mean to hope!
kelley
yes, yes carrol, it's just a meaningless poll. :)