Bad news
I heard the news today, oh, boy. It was depressing drive time to work this morning (yesterday by posting time). NPR had two stories back-to-back that showed the poverty of political culture these days.
First, and not surprisingly, Bush is courting black conservatives. The approach, of course, is an appeal to "lifestyle" issues. Somebody they interviewed, though, also spoke of the NAACP's trouble with the IRS, suggesting that they are acting in the interest of a "political agenda," not in the interest of black people.
The next story was second verse, same as the first. This time a Catholic school in California where constituents were trying to boot out some twins who had two dads. The idea was that since the gay parents were not in accord with Catholic doctrine, the kids had to go. Someone from the school was saying they didn't want to go down that road, because it led also to booting kids of divorced parents, investigating what parents used birth control, etc. The anti-twins spokesperson distinguished this case by saying that the twins were just pawns in their dads' agenda to force the church to accept homosexuality.
That gay agenda again. I can picture it this time:
8:00 drop off twins
8:30 groceries
9:00 pick up at cleaners
10:00 mass
What's going on? For a long time now, we've heard politicians claiming to be above politics. But now, everywhere you look the right is pressing an aggressive agenda that is labelled as simple, apolitical values, while others of us just go about our business and are slapped with the charge of pressing an agenda. Since when are the "interests" of black folks supposed to be clear of the taint of politics? How is it not an "agenda" to get these kids kicked out of school because of who their parents are?
Barthes is gaining relevance like crazy: myth is depoliticized speech. The right is not only carrying out a crusade abroad, it is pressing a mythical crusade at home. How long till the inquisition? Time for a little semioclasm, but I don't know how to start.
First, and not surprisingly, Bush is courting black conservatives. The approach, of course, is an appeal to "lifestyle" issues. Somebody they interviewed, though, also spoke of the NAACP's trouble with the IRS, suggesting that they are acting in the interest of a "political agenda," not in the interest of black people.
The next story was second verse, same as the first. This time a Catholic school in California where constituents were trying to boot out some twins who had two dads. The idea was that since the gay parents were not in accord with Catholic doctrine, the kids had to go. Someone from the school was saying they didn't want to go down that road, because it led also to booting kids of divorced parents, investigating what parents used birth control, etc. The anti-twins spokesperson distinguished this case by saying that the twins were just pawns in their dads' agenda to force the church to accept homosexuality.
That gay agenda again. I can picture it this time:
8:00 drop off twins
8:30 groceries
9:00 pick up at cleaners
10:00 mass
What's going on? For a long time now, we've heard politicians claiming to be above politics. But now, everywhere you look the right is pressing an aggressive agenda that is labelled as simple, apolitical values, while others of us just go about our business and are slapped with the charge of pressing an agenda. Since when are the "interests" of black folks supposed to be clear of the taint of politics? How is it not an "agenda" to get these kids kicked out of school because of who their parents are?
Barthes is gaining relevance like crazy: myth is depoliticized speech. The right is not only carrying out a crusade abroad, it is pressing a mythical crusade at home. How long till the inquisition? Time for a little semioclasm, but I don't know how to start.
posted by cultcrit at 1:32 PM
0 comments
