Ethics, Statistics and Israel's Willingness to See Palestinian Lives as Expendible
March 17th 2009 08:23
Category: No Category
Listen to the mp3 of Judith Butler's presentation in London here.
I find listening to Judith in turns frustrating and gratifying. She seems to develop her argument in such a way that she takes a certain amount of time (let's say the equivalent of a long paragraph) to prioritise a series of terms and concepts for consumption, which are to be deconstructed in the succeeding narrative. It's not, however, a simple matter of disposition and subsequent analysis, for her subconscious instinct for deconstructive analysis is always implied in the elaboration of details, yet I can't help but be turned off by her unswerving reliance on 'the mechanics' of discussion. She takes for granted that certain truths need to be established before meaningful deconstructive discourses can be deployed, and as such, while her work is comforting in breadth and depth, it is also leaves me feeling under-stimulated. I feel that her potential is much greater than she gives it credit for, and as such we are all left in the dark.
That said, this mp3 took me to some very interesting places, and I think it's worth sharing with my readers for the times when her rhetoric shines.
Set in the context of Royal Holloway University of London's atmosphere, Judith discusses the attempts to justify the slaughter of children and civilians on behalf of the Israeli government through the systematic use of racism. She is interested in the dehumanisation of Palestinians, of their transformation from the living to the dead before the decision to take them out eventuates, especially when they stand in the way of Hamas strongholds and are seen as 'inevitable carnage' (my term, not hers).
I find listening to Judith in turns frustrating and gratifying. She seems to develop her argument in such a way that she takes a certain amount of time (let's say the equivalent of a long paragraph) to prioritise a series of terms and concepts for consumption, which are to be deconstructed in the succeeding narrative. It's not, however, a simple matter of disposition and subsequent analysis, for her subconscious instinct for deconstructive analysis is always implied in the elaboration of details, yet I can't help but be turned off by her unswerving reliance on 'the mechanics' of discussion. She takes for granted that certain truths need to be established before meaningful deconstructive discourses can be deployed, and as such, while her work is comforting in breadth and depth, it is also leaves me feeling under-stimulated. I feel that her potential is much greater than she gives it credit for, and as such we are all left in the dark.
That said, this mp3 took me to some very interesting places, and I think it's worth sharing with my readers for the times when her rhetoric shines.
Set in the context of Royal Holloway University of London's atmosphere, Judith discusses the attempts to justify the slaughter of children and civilians on behalf of the Israeli government through the systematic use of racism. She is interested in the dehumanisation of Palestinians, of their transformation from the living to the dead before the decision to take them out eventuates, especially when they stand in the way of Hamas strongholds and are seen as 'inevitable carnage' (my term, not hers).
Here we see the Israeli and Palestinian flags, connected by the peace sign
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