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Subject: FREEDOM! Author: Dave [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] Date Posted: 13:32:25 12/03/02 Tue In reply to: Matt 's message, "Cry freedom!" on 20:27:24 12/02/02 Mon If I may make a rather lowbrow comment, I thought we were supposed to be reading The Trouble with Normal for this week and Freedom Dreams for next week. That is to say, I did read the Warner book for this week. Well, I'm pleased to hear that my next week's reading looks very interesting. I'm glad to hear in particular that it makes Mumbo Jumbo come alive a bit more. That book also left me feeling extraordinarily ignorant about contemporary history, particularly the histories of resistance movements of various kinds. I found Warner's book, to change the topic to the only one I know anything about, both challenging and exciting. As he points out in the introduction, some of his claims sound outlandish without context. Arguing for the benefits of pornography or for the problems with the institution of marriage seem absurd. And yet Warner does an amazing job of turning the points around and making the commonsense opinions sound absurd. Maybe I'm just a pitiful relativist who likes having his worldview shattered, but I found him surprisingly convincing. He's also an intriguing case of someone putting theory to work without spouting theory. I have no problem with spouting theory, but to read it requires a certain level of familiarity with its language that most of the people in a position to do anything don't have. This book is readable by a wide public. And, while I'm at it, the book has a great orange cover. He puts Foucault to work in a very particular way, as Foucault insists his genealogy should be put to work. Without making ad hominem arguments or conspiracy theories, he shows who benefits from the "politics of shame," and who is forgotten and thus excluded because of them. Did others find the book compelling, or am I just unknowingly coming out of the closet? I would like to hear what others' objections were. I sometimes find these works difficult to criticize. I find myself nodding and saying wow and failing to notice inconsistencies and problems. Hope to hear from some of you. Dave [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]