[lbo-talk] The Sopranos vs. Spiderman another brick in that neolib wall

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

On 4/29/06, Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> wrote:
> joanna wrote:
>
> >In one of the best episodes of the 1st season(?), Tony's shrink, a
> >woman, is raped.  She is able to identify the rapist, but the police
> >mishandle the evidence and the man walks free.
> >
> >At the next session with Tony, she bursts into tears, and we are
> >made to understand that she wishes, more than anything else in the
> >world, to tell Tony what happened so that he could "squish him like
> >a bug." Which, in fact, we all know he would gladly do.
> >
> >But, she doesn't tell him. Why? She doesn't say, but a couple of
> >reasons are possible: 1) it would break the psychoanalytic contract
> >according to which the doctor takes care of the patient, not vice
> >versa. 2) it would not undo the rape, just add another act of
> >violence.
>
> And one of the great things about that story line is that we (ok, I,
> but I bet I'm not alone) wish she would tell Tony and that Tony would
> squish the bug in a very satisfying fashion. Then you realize what
> you're rooting for and feel funny.
>
> Doug

That's a perfect moral lesson in the age of "Save Darfur" rallies --
but one that is apparently lost on ravi, et al.  They must be fans of
Spiderman: With great power comes great responsibility!

--
Yoshie
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