We find ourselves at the end of a national election season, one cycling through a particularly depressed economic situation, but Americans, a generally hopeful, forward looking lot have become accustomed to growing in...We find ourselves at the end of a national election season, one cycling through a particularly depressed economic situation, but Americans, a generally hopeful, forward looking lot have become accustomed to growing incivility and resentment in their politics. This resentment stems from what Albert Borgmann defines as the character of our late modern age--we are both sullen and hyper in our daily lives. This situation comes at the intersection of long developing modern elements stemming from the control of nature via a universal scientific method at the behest of our own aggressive pursuit of individuality. The nature of our lives are in turn reinforced and reproduced by our frenetic militarized mobilization to recapture political and economic leadership at an international level. This goal, spurred on by an elite oligarchical vanguard, is reinforced by a ＂wealth defense industry,＂ developed in the late 20th century, designed to protect the wealth of our own elite class. This industry has stripped traditional cultural and academic sites of their ability or interest in interrogating the present status quo, and has rendered them fiat, uninspiring, and indolent in the face of growing income inequities and injustice. American political science has essentially become, in the vein of Marita Sturken＇s work, kitschified--facile, glib, and easily reproduced so as to act as a balm to our bruised, sullen egos, longing for an age of innocence-a smooth and glassy yet opaque history that eases our consciences and forgives the growing antidemocratic practices of our civil oligarchy.展开更多
文摘We find ourselves at the end of a national election season, one cycling through a particularly depressed economic situation, but Americans, a generally hopeful, forward looking lot have become accustomed to growing incivility and resentment in their politics. This resentment stems from what Albert Borgmann defines as the character of our late modern age--we are both sullen and hyper in our daily lives. This situation comes at the intersection of long developing modern elements stemming from the control of nature via a universal scientific method at the behest of our own aggressive pursuit of individuality. The nature of our lives are in turn reinforced and reproduced by our frenetic militarized mobilization to recapture political and economic leadership at an international level. This goal, spurred on by an elite oligarchical vanguard, is reinforced by a ＂wealth defense industry,＂ developed in the late 20th century, designed to protect the wealth of our own elite class. This industry has stripped traditional cultural and academic sites of their ability or interest in interrogating the present status quo, and has rendered them fiat, uninspiring, and indolent in the face of growing income inequities and injustice. American political science has essentially become, in the vein of Marita Sturken＇s work, kitschified--facile, glib, and easily reproduced so as to act as a balm to our bruised, sullen egos, longing for an age of innocence-a smooth and glassy yet opaque history that eases our consciences and forgives the growing antidemocratic practices of our civil oligarchy.
