NP - Houellebecq on Paris attacks

[Otto]

It's sorry that you didn't read your Pynchon well...

"(...) maintaining a condition of permanent siege — through the
systematic encirclement of populations, the starvation of bodies and
spirits, the relentless degradation of civility until citizen was
turned against citizen, even to the point of committing atrocities
(…). When the Sieges ended, these balloonists chose to fly on, free
now of the political delusions that reigned more than ever on the
ground (…) proceeding as if under a world–wide, never–ending state of
siege."
(ATD 19,32–39)

2015-11-20 10:05 GMT+01:00 matthew cissell <mccissell at gmail.com>:
> http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/21/opinion/how-frances-leaders-failed-its-people.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-right-region&region=opinion-c-col-right-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-right-region&_r=
>
> Ecce Houellebecq. The Author has spoken, too bad he didn't choose silence.
>
> The title blames the leaders. In his second paragraph he attributes the 1986
> atttacks to Hezbollah. (Let's pass over his moaning about the lack of a
> Churchill like leader, but recall what Brecht said in Galileo about the need
> for leaders.) Then Chez Michel sez the blame is widely shared, but then in
> the next line he's back to blaming leaders. So which is it Michel?
>
> Howlabook claims that the "essential mission" of the government is to
> protect the population. Guess he didn't study Poli-sci.
>
> Perhaps someone should remind Monsieur H. that the only people responsible
> for the attacks are the people who perpetrated them.
>
> Mon. H. would like to be Zola but this is not his lineage. Michel
> Houellebecq belongs to the line Joseph de Miastre, Maurice Barres, and
> Charles Maurras.
>
> But is his piece not also part of the game? An essay here or there following
> on some book release to bump up the numbers, not a rational act following
> rules but a feel for the game - "Now is the time for this!" A controversial
> piece to make sure your name stays in the news for some days. (Think back to
> how Baudrillard made the most out of events by saying something supposedly
> profound - Iraq war and 2001 attacks.) His blip is growing, and perhaps I
> should not contribute to it, but when you hear idiocy proclaimed as wisdom
> it is incumbent upon you to respond.
>
> Pauvre France. there must be more than Houellebecq and BS Henri Levy. Sure
> makes me miss Bourdieu.
>
> ciao
> mc otis
-
Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l