[lbo-talk] Bush and Foucault

Dwayne Monroe idoru345 at yahoo.com
Tue Jun 5 08:31:21 PDT 2007


Chuck Grimes:

This is another of those unintended consequences. When the rational bounds and bonds of a modern state threaten to dissolve, rationalism itself comes into question and with it, its ancient foes, the religious systems of thought seem to rise to prominence. For many it seems they prefer just about any order of thought and action over the contingent and disorder of a breach. Any tradition will do, even a fabricated one in place of no tradition at all.

....................

A few thoughts, inspired by your post, offered before returning to work...

Carrying your insights a little further, if the modern state - for a variety of reasons, many having to do with power preservation or enhancement - utilizes and supports irrational impulses (note for example, the relentless Anglo/American use of actually existing terrorism, which is rare and limited, as the source material for a Halloween story about a globe straddling mortal threat to our existence) a retreat into false traditions is seen.

In several instances, false traditions and retrogressions are engineered and necessary to accomplish narrow, political or geopolitical goals (for ex. American neo-con encouragement of reactionary Christians, Pakistan's nurturing of the Taliban...etc).

An inescapable house of smoke, mirrors and bullshit (there *are* WMDs...no wait, there *were* WMDs...actually there *would've been* WMDs had we not selflessly acted), sentimentality, fear and manufactured traditions are the fragments of our shattered modernity.

.d.



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