[lbo-talk] How radical was Derrida? (was 'does anyone read poststructuralism anymore?')

[c b]

Asad Haider
In the United States, appropriating Derrida led to apolitical
scholarship, but it seems that studying Derrida can help us answer an
important question: what is it about the American intellectual zeal
against totalizing theories that leads to political apathy?

^^^^^
CB: Is Marxism the main example of a totalizing theory ? What would be
another one ?

I imagine the US ruling class ( the ruling ideas of any age ar the
ideas of its ruling classes) noticed long ago that political apathy is
a good antidote to mass radical poltical action, and uses its very
effective methods to inculcate zeal against totalizing theories as one
way to make masses politically apathetic (?)  It was probably clear
that Derrida had this apolitical impact ? I mean anti-rationalism is
anti-theory, no ?