SLSL Succession of the Criminally Insane

[jbor]

on 8/2/03 5:43 AM, Malignd at malignd at yahoo.com wrote:

> You find this a valid descriptor, do you?  "That
> succession of the criminally insane who have enjoyed
> power since 1945"?
> 
> One after another, all criminally insane?  That, say,
> Eisenhower, hauled into court and charged for his
> actions in the political arena would be fairly found
> guilty of felonies and/or misdemeanors?  And,
> evaluated by competent medical practitioners, he would
> as well be judged insane?

We have talked about this before, but the first problem is that it's a
half-quote which has been taken entirely out of its context for the purpose
of propaganda. That's a given.

In the paragraph Pynchon is addressing "the Bomb". There's nothing which
requires that the "succession" relates only to the US government, or to
"all" leaders since 1945.

      I don't mean to make light of this. Our common nightmare the Bomb
    is in there [i.e. in the story 'Under the Rose'] too. It was bad
    enough in '59 and is much worse now [i.e. mid '80s], as the level of
    danger has continued to grow. There was never anything subliminal
    about it, then or now. Except for that succession of the criminally
    insane who have enjoyed power since 1945, including the power to do
    something about it [i.e. "the Bomb"], most of the rest of us poor
    sheep have been stuck with simple standard fear. ... ('Intro' 18-19)

I agree that the phrase in itself is hyperbolic and silly, and the
historico-political analysis laughable and a travesty.  But in the context
of current events, the whole passage raises the question of what, exactly,
that "something" is which those "in power" can and should do about "the
Bomb". I'd say that disarming Saddam - certainly a "criminal", conceivably
"insane" - would definitely be "something".

best




best