Long Sunday

"Mexican Flu"

Those of us who study animals know that there is a strong connection between the treatment and representation of animals and other forms of human discrimination. Carol Adams (The Sexual Politics of Meat) has profitably explored the relationship between sexism and animal use; Charles Patterson (Eternal Treblinka) and Boria Sax (Animals in the Third Reich) have pointed out the connection between industrial agriculture and the Holocaust; and Marjorie Spiegel (The Dreaded Comparison: Human and Animal Slavery) has looked at the connection between racism and animal use. And, of course, Upton Sinclair's The Jungle should not be forgotten.

It should thus come as no surprise that naming the outbreak of H1N1 ("the swine flu") has become an issue. (Remember, of course, H5N1 "asian bird flu," which is more often called "avian bird flu.") Earlier this week, Yakov Litzman, the deputy health minister of the Israeli said, "We will call it Mexican flu. We won't call it swine flu." A few days later, an "official" in the foreign ministry said, "Israel has no intention of given the flu any new names. It was nothing more than a slip of the tongue." And, of course, it wasn't in any way a slip of the tongue.

Update: The first mass cull - the entirety of the 300,000 pigs in Egypt is apparently underway, despite many epidemiologists saying that culls will do little to stop the spread of the flu because (1) it appears that the flu is not transferred through eating meat and (2) it has already jumped species. Epidemologists, rather, recommend 'increased surveillance and biosecurity measures' (see Reuters).

Outrage? Sure--if you'll do it for me!

One of the most familiar of Zizek's concepts is interpassivity, the way that an object does something for us, enabling us to remain passive. So, Zizek's vcr can tape a bunch of movies, watching them in Zizek's stead. Recent discussions with students have reminded me how useful this concept is. It's particularly useful for thinking about contemporary outrage.

For the past several months, 24/7 news media has repeated that the American people are outraged (imagine typical Jon Stewart mash up of relevant samples). We are outraged about the economy, the bailout, Wall Street salaries, Obama's missing birth certificate, Miss America, swine flu, taxes, and torture. But the weird thing is that there are not massive rallies in the streets. People are not storming the White House or Wall Street, for that matter. Why?

My hypothesis: blame Glen Beck and Keith Oberman. Blame Counterpunch and whatever right wing net-based publication you want. These folks are outraged for us. They are outraged in our stead, enabling us to retain our general passivity. Extreme media, in other words, doesn't stir us up: it stirs for us.

(cross-posted from I Cite)

The Discomfort of the Establishment

While many have come to see Paul Krugman as a sort of folk hero for the emerging anti-Geithner mass movement, I think he reflects a common view among many mainstream economists.  Experts like Jeffrey Sachs, Dean Baker, Simon Johnson and Joseph Stiglitz all believe the Geithner-Summers banking plan is a thinly desguised scheme to transfer mass public wealth over to the largest financial institutions, in order to keep them from collapse.  And they all believe the plan is not only immoral but that it has no chance for success.  In case one were to suspect that this is only a view held by some snobby, ivory tower academics, I found a shockingly plain statement of concern from a journalist who claimed to be speaking for "the establishment":

A Not So Grand Re-Opening

It has been almost a year since anyone has posted so this seemed like a good time to start up again. In between then and now the United States has elected its first African American President while simultaneously leading the world into a global economic crisis.  Those who call themselves "progressive" or "liberals" have heralded this sequence of events as an enormous opportunity to transform the country.  Most leftists have looked upon the Obama administration and its response to the financial collapse as more neoliberalism - a continuation of Bush policies with a "kinder and gentler" face.

I hope Long Sunday will be a place where people can discuss the current landscape but also reach beyond it.  Anyone interested can email me at alainwittman@msn.com.