meta [part the second]

[Joseph Tracy]

On Dec 16, 2009, at 3:28 AM, Carvill, John wrote:

> << Pynchon makes art.  Not history, and not proscriptions for life in
> general.  >>
>
> Yes but he is an artist who can be (and has been, by himself)  
> broadly categorized as 'a historical novelist', so the art and  
> history all get scumbled together, don't they.
Even historical history often gets turned into hagiographic art and  
outright lies. The conquerers getting the first crack at how the  
story gets told, and the whoever is in power getting the final word.
>
> GR wouldn't have been such an original work if Pynchon had just  
> focused on Hitler, the Nazis, et. Poking around the margins and  
> shining lights into lesser known corners, was one of the ways he  
> made his book unique. It also enhanced the sense of ambiguity in  
> terms of exactly which historical period(s) the book was really  
> examining. Maybe/probably Robin's 'innate corruption' statement  
> goes too far, but we all sorta know what he means, yes?
>
>>> those GIs, Tommys, and Ivans did die for something.
>
> Yes.
>
>> that was apparently the last time, alas.
>
> Well, NATO's intervention in/over Kosovo in 1999, that was probably  
> the 'last time', to date. Often gets forgotten, partly because of  
> revisionist history on the part of Chomskyites, etc., partly  
> because the reasons for intervening were at least partly attenuated  
> by guilt/regret/embarrassment over not acting more decisively  
> against Milosevic's Serbs earlier in the decade.

I was also going to mention this as one of the few successful  
interventions against strong man rule, aggression, ethnic cleansing  
( some key marks of fascism). Unfortunately, the reluctance says as  
much as the action in terms of a consistent policy and is surrounded  
by counter examples in Latin America, the Philippines, Indonesia,  
Africa, Southeast Asia, Afghanistan, Iran.

I disagree with Chomsky about Yugoslavia, but his thesis that the  
post WW2 US is is neither an anti-fascist nor a pro-democratic force  
still holds up remarkably well.