On Wed, Feb 3, 2021 at 10:34 AM Balazs Bodo <[email protected]> wrote:
> Yes, I agree, on an abstract level, it is fascinating to see congress > members and presidents recruiting flat-earthers, non-voters, q anon shamans > to carry out a coup, as much it is fascinating to see Musk mobilizing > anonymous reddit crowds to do meme investments with an app that makes money > by selling the transaction log to wall street firms, but it is also not > fascinating, or no more than seeing a sick homeless, drug addict man dying > alone on the curbside. > I share your perception from the inside, Balazs. For a long time English has been the language that knits global communication together. This has had great results in terms of, for example, us having these chats on nettime, or people in Central Asia collaborating with people in Eastern Europe or Latin America or wherever. But it has also had the really unfortunate effect that everywhere, both the news and contemporary culture more broadly is permeated when not dominated by the morbid symptoms of US decadence. I realize that I, too, contribute to this here on this list, although hopefully in a less cynical and more analytical way than the default option. Europe appears now to have officially marked the end of US hegemony. Not only is there widespread agreement that the US can't be trusted (the orange guy might not be the last one) but also, every EU government and the bloc itself is setting its own terms for future relations with the emerging global hegemon, China. In Africa and Latin America, China is already the primary economic force. You can never underestimate the dynamism of US society - it might roar back as the new economic cycle gets underway. More likely, the decadence continues. I think it is incumbent on intellectuals around the world to offer analyses of phenomena within their own society, and also, situated perspectives on the global realignment that is now taking place. Of course it is more difficult because you have to reconstruct a referential framework which, for the US, is given by the plethora of (debased) media coverage. But a truly multiperspectival conversation would be incredibly more valuable than what is prevailing now. all the best, Brian
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