I think the big picture here is that if you grow up in the 90s hearing your parents badmouthing a public figure all the time, or simply here the ambient dripfeed of negativity unleashed by the GOP and their stooges, including absolutely mental stuff in
Weekly World News and all that, staring at you at the supermarket, and to cap it all, seeing someone having to defend themselves all the time in front of an angry looking committee, it's very likely that you will form a negative opinion of someone, until that someone shows up live without encumbrances for a debate.
…or maybe you're actually paying attention and you realize that this person is not on your side, or on the side of anyone you care deeply about. It's a deep solidarity. Unfortunately, we're so conditioned to only have two choices, that we end up supporting monsters. This dynamic works on both sides, not just on the American Right.
ReplyDeleteA bit different subject, but while reading "Forward Thinking" part of "The Ecological Thought" I started wondering to what extent your theory of (re-)enchantment of the world is connected to Lukacs' concept of first and second nature? You don't seem to mention it in the chapter but I couldn't resist to find links between what you're saying, Lukacs essay, but also Adorno's and Horkheimer's writings. It would be great if you could respond to that, I am really curious whether your opinion differs from theirs?
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