Sunday, September 07, 2008
America the Movie
If one accepts the premise of historian Howard Zinn, the United States government has been a criminal enterprise since the outset -- initially for the purpose of stealing real estate, later for profiteering from aggression -- then the hypothesis of author Walter Karp that the two American political parties of note are what he calls "indispensable enemies" makes sense. Competition, then -- much ballyhooed by media -- is merely over who gets to divide the spoils of the US Treasury, and not over whether the system of criminal enterprise in which they participate is, as they say, "on the table" for discussion.
For those unfamiliar with Zinn or Karp, the Sopranos TV series serves to illustrate this situation quite well: rival organized crime families compete and shift alliances now and then, but overall they are united in their opposition to lawful and orderly governance. The dominant political parties are simply a tool whereby aristocrats (the equivalent of crime families) control access to publicly-generated wealth; high profile politicians thus comprise the equivalent of Hollywood casting catalogues.
Viewed in its entirety, conventions, elections and other inter-party contests involving high drama, are best understood by the analysis of philosopher Guy DeBord in his classic text Society of the Spectacle. In this scenario, debating over which actor (politician) is more genuine, or heaven forbid, revolutionary, becomes an exercise in silliness.
For those unfamiliar with Zinn or Karp, the Sopranos TV series serves to illustrate this situation quite well: rival organized crime families compete and shift alliances now and then, but overall they are united in their opposition to lawful and orderly governance. The dominant political parties are simply a tool whereby aristocrats (the equivalent of crime families) control access to publicly-generated wealth; high profile politicians thus comprise the equivalent of Hollywood casting catalogues.
Viewed in its entirety, conventions, elections and other inter-party contests involving high drama, are best understood by the analysis of philosopher Guy DeBord in his classic text Society of the Spectacle. In this scenario, debating over which actor (politician) is more genuine, or heaven forbid, revolutionary, becomes an exercise in silliness.
