Wednesday 10 August 2011

Left fascism? My left foot!


The self-hatred of the lower classes is expressed in their desire for political self-transcendence. They do not want to be what they "are", but what the ruling classes represent, to them. As Fanon saw, this higher level of being can be codified as whiteness. It can be codified in terms of certain kinds of upper class mannerisms, or what have you.

Since power is predominantly masculine in Western culture, Freud could codify women's desire for power as "penis envy". In any case, the desire for transcendence is the desire to be more (and, ultimately, different) from what one is.

That is why making libido connect not with transcendence but, instead, with immanence (as Bataille --whom Wolin mistakenly casts as a "left fascist" does) is potentially destructive of any hierarchical social order.

But perhaps I am reading too much into the mainly psychological musings of Bataille?

No comments:

Cultural barriers to objectivity