irregularnews, Foucault Society blog

Well maybe it's not that lonely up here after all. We're a savage bunch, no doubt. But then if one is truly humble, why risk appearing to feel the need to proclaim it, to play at being able to take oneself lightly? (Granted this is all some people ever do; one wonders if they have a serious side at all.) A good chunk of Vermont is more "progressive" than Howard Dean will ever be, and not afraid to say so. Granted, some of them are beyond quaint, haven't watched television in 30 years, and smell a bit. And although what this word signifies in the popular imagination (car insurance, perhaps?) of course remains more than a little ambiguous.

Awash in stories about bloggers (not about what they say), the mainstream press without fail imposes a frame for "debate" a priori immunized against sincere analysis (which would mean self-criticism). Is not the need to refuse the question greater now than ever? Those not in a position of power to actively shape the dominant discourse, not bearing that responsibility, ought not to be confused, or to allow their egos to be confused, with those who are, and do. Then the real work can begin.

Of the 393 interviews about the coming war on the four major nightly newscasts—NBC, ABC, CBS, and the PBS Newshour with Jim Lehrer—in this critical period right before invasion, only three interviews were with anti-war representatives. That is not mainstream media. That didn’t represent mainstream America, when most people were in favor of pursuing diplomacy and inspections rather than going to war. That’s extreme media.

-Amy Goodman

Update: The first post on The Foucault Society's new blog happens to feature a quote from a visit to a certain very (sorry, Martin Amis) special state.