RE: [OPE] Alain Badiou, "Of Which Real is this Crisis the Spectacle?"

> Badiou is right to criticize the term 'real economy'; we should instead use
> categories such as production, circulation, consumption - all of which
> correspond to something real. But by the same token he is wrong to describe
> the crisis as a movie and people as an audience. An audience never gets hurt
> by the onscreen train rushing at them. Only intellectuals in safe armchairs
> can forget this difference and talk endlessly about the 'spectacle'.

Hi Paula:

While I understand your concern, I don't agree with it in this case. It
seems to me that using literary allusion as a way of making points about
political economy is often very useful. So powerful are many of the images
and stories from film - and more generally, popular culture - that they can
be effectively used in communication about politics and economics. As an
educator and activist, I know from experience that this is the case. One
reference to a popular film, TV show, or song - if properly selected - can
often be more effective at connecting with an audience than the use of
any number of graphs and formulas so beloved by most economists of all types,
including Marxian economists. I also think that Badiou's reference to the
crisis being a "spectacle" would resonate well with most workers.

In solidarity, Jerry

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Received on Thu Oct 23 08:31:01 2008