Politics
Lee Konstantinou
Obama’s selection of Rick Warren to deliver the inaugural invocation has whipped up a significant amount of anger on the left. This anger is quite justified. Warren is a man who stands for the opposite of the political inclusiveness that Obama claims to be aiming for. Yet Obama’s selection is totally in keeping with the theory that has driven Obama’s whole campaign. This theory — let’s call it the Separated Parents Theory of American Politics — states that what was wrong with the last eight years of American politics — and American politics more broadly since 1968 — has been a Vietnam-fueled family squabble among liberals and conservatives. Against the Separated Parents Theory of American Politics, I present the Bad Policy Theory of American Politics. The problem with Warren is his politics. His delivering the invocation doesn’t matter because he is not being appointed to Obama’s cabinet. His invocation does matter because it suggests that Obama and those who believe in his narrative of family strife overestimate the importance of tone in their critique of the last eight years and underestimate the importance of Democratic complicity in the most horrific policies we have embraced.
Culture
Lee Konstantinou
Alerting us to a major victory for the world of letters, Mobylives reports that a deal has been reached to make works of literature available on hand-held video game devices: “Japanese video game maker Nintendo has announced a deal with HarperCollins to make classics of world literature available to read on its games playing devices. As a Telegraph report by Murray Wardrop notes, “The unlikely partnership means that the names of computer game characters such as Donkey Kong and Mario will sit alongside the likes of Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters on the hand-held gadgets.” Dubbed the 100 Classic Book Collection, the package will cost about £20 (about $30) and will be available initially only in the UK. A Nintendo spokesman said, “We hope to encourage people to try books that they wouldn’t go out and purchase themselves.” While I appreciate any move that will stave off the inevitable destruction of literature and literary culture, this deal reveals a singular lack of imagination on the part of Nintendo and HarperCollins. The possibilities for cross-fertilization between literature and video games — for synergistic magic! — are far more varied and exciting.
Culture Politics
Nate Lavey
France is at a moment with revolutionary potential. With powerful interests at their weakest in generations, with a population expressing widespread dissatisfaction in the government and the economy, French radicals possess leverage they haven’t enjoyed in quite a while. So far, Besancenot and those supporting the NPA seem to be taking advantage of the times. Their micro-radicalism is a smart response to huge problems. It’s the first clever move from French leftists in decades, and their immediate successes indicate how timely it has been. For the moment the left has something to look forward to and something to be proud of: a small-scale politics that has great potential to be more subversive and more effective than anyone would have guessed.
