Thursday, March 23, 2006

re fusal

There ought to be a program for those who edit their blogs more than twice. Bad blogs get written. Decent blogs get reviews. Sometimes decent blogs respond to reviews by re-over-editing themselves back into bad blogs. Very rarely, and verging on neurosis, such born again bad blogs are finally rendered better, or at least decent blogs, again.

In yesterday's post on the new international (since updated and, one hopes, clarified a bit), it was neglectful not to mention what is fast becoming a truly splendid and varied critical engagement with Mario Tronti, on a Long Sunday. And in light of which, wondering about again:
"At a certain moment, in the face of public events, we know that we must refuse. The refusal is absolute, categorical. It does not argue, nor does it voice its reasons. This is why it is silent and solitary, even when it asserts itself, as it must, in broad daylight. Men who refuse and who are tied by the force of refusal know that they are not yet together. The time of joint affirmation is precisely that of which they have been deprived. What they are left with is the irreducible refusal, the friendship of this certain, unshakable, rigorous No that keeps them unified and bound by solidarity." (Maurice Blanchot, Friendship, 111)

A new issue of BOOKFORUM features this review, among other interesting things.

6 comments:

Keith said...

Thanks for that quote Matt. I've been meaning to read more of Blanchot, but I moved on to other things for a while after I got stuck infinitely reading The Infinte Conversation a few years back.

Anonymous said...

A solidarity rooted in No! And, the refusal is not primarily an economic one, from what I gather here, but a political one. Like Luther's here I stand? But what kind of solidarity is this? What sort of ties does the No! produce? An obligation to persist in saying No? Or is it momentary?

Anonymous said...

Now, you're going to work this up into a contribution, yes?

Anonymous said...

No.

(maybe)

Anonymous said...

A little one.

Anonymous said...

I wonder what solidarity entails here. Any thoughts on the relation between this and the workings of an inoperative community?