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June 16, 2005

Intellectuals can be pretty dumb...

...which I think comes from living in the hermetically sealed confines of academia for decades at a time. Here's a good example; eminent beret-wearing philisophe Michel Foucalt apparently thought the Iranian revolution in 1979 was a fine bit of business.

This seems odd; you'd think such obviously smart people would be able to to figure out that governments founded on slapping people around who disagree with them is fundamentally bad, whether it's Islamic radicalism, communism or a paid vacation in Gitmo. But I think the dirty little secret of a lot of intellectuals is that, deep down, they think if only people did things the way their obviously brilliant smartypants overlords wanted, the world would be a utopia. That didn't work out too well in Russia (or anywhere else for that matter) but that doesn't stop them.

At least now most intellectuals have been squared away in the blog-ghettoes, where they won't do any harm. :)

2 comment(s) so far (Post your own)

1

On June 16, 2005 9:59 AM, Vodka-7 said:

In light of Foucault's laborious tomes which concurrently disect and confound the relationship between the individual and Western power structures (think Discipline and Punish) his support of any anti-Western liberal regime is somewhat predictable. It is equally an example of the academic mindset which, despite being physically present during the lead-up to the revolution, is constantly contextualizing the very real events--with very real human consequences--in terms of history and theoretical models. It's indoorsy at best and at its worst, despite the claims of studying and elucidating human experience in the hegemonic soup, completely removed from the actual truths over which they demand to be recognised as experts.

On a lighter (?) note, given his keen participation in the San Francisco S&M scene, perhaps he really was practicing what he preached.

2

On June 16, 2005 10:38 AM, Warren Frey said:

Yeah, generally you find the same sort of behaviour from economists and other sequestered brainiacs, but guys like Foucalt had the added bonus of speaking such unremittent, abstract gibberish that I at least just tune out to whatever blizz-blazz his ilk are spouting. Which is great, until their buddies with the truncheons come to my door. And don't these intellectuals realize they eventually become the next group on the list to get popped? Can't have a bunch of thinkers around stirring the pot when there's free will to crush.

p.s. Nice to have you back, Vodka. Email a brotha and let me know what's what.

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