tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post2152681653157143756..comments2024-02-18T19:36:43.844+11:00Comments on theatre notes: Seen last week: and The Question of The IntellectualAlison Croggonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-38045403434649090512009-09-15T23:26:23.021+10:002009-09-15T23:26:23.021+10:00Hi Jana - thanks for that. I certainly wouldn'...Hi Jana - thanks for that. I certainly wouldn't claim that Agamben or Singer have no place in the mass media, and it's our loss they're not simply part of the wider conversation. And yes, things are quite interestingly in flux: I don't feel gloom and doom around the question, simply because there's enough oxygen around to keep me happy (even if I'm personally a little Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-85110509779198661862009-09-15T23:26:16.687+10:002009-09-15T23:26:16.687+10:00Hi Jana - thanks for that. I certainly wouldn'...Hi Jana - thanks for that. I certainly wouldn't claim that Agamben or Singer have no place in the mass media, and it's our loss they're not simply part of the wider conversation. And yes, things are quite interestingly in flux: I don't feel gloom and doom around the question, simply because there's enough oxygen around to keep me happy (even if I'm personally a little Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-1762855122882489062009-09-15T22:47:05.019+10:002009-09-15T22:47:05.019+10:00Returning to this conversation after a short hiatu...Returning to this conversation after a short hiatus: I apologise for seeing anti-academicism where there was none. But I've never claimed that I "don't care about what's in the daily press because of the richness around me at Melbourne Uni", and I wouldn't. My argument is slightly different: that the mass media are in a state of great upheaval at the moment, which may Janahttp://www.sparkonline.com.aunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-79267096287176721532009-09-10T16:07:14.466+10:002009-09-10T16:07:14.466+10:00Jana, I think you've misunderstood me rather c...Jana, I think you've misunderstood me rather comprehensively. In stating the fact that Agamben doesn't appear in the pages of the Age, I am not stating an opinion on it. In answer to your claim of "anti-academicism" (!), I have no inhibitions about quoting Agamben's ideas - see my reviews on <a href="http://theatrenotes.blogspot.com/2006/09/honour-bound.html" rel="nofollow">Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-35665639595462735152009-09-10T13:00:39.719+10:002009-09-10T13:00:39.719+10:00Giorgio Agamben in lastampa.it; in Venice he hosts...<a href="http://www.lastampa.it/redazione/cmsSezioni/cultura/200711articoli/27932girata.asp" rel="nofollow">Giorgio Agamben in lastampa.it</a>; in Venice he hosts book launches, gives radio interviews, and whatnot.<br /><br />The other point is that all Italian children have three years of obligatoru philosophy in high school, and actually read Agamben. I sense in your comment, Alison, a kind of Janahttp://guerrillasemiotics.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-24070341833579401562009-09-10T09:51:54.436+10:002009-09-10T09:51:54.436+10:00...and (another PS) I should add that the Australi......and (another PS) I should add that the Australian has just doubled the space for its arts coverage.Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-22557894533200378652009-09-10T09:45:53.503+10:002009-09-10T09:45:53.503+10:00...and thanks, Neandellus. Gosh, he's still ar......and thanks, Neandellus. Gosh, he's still around! Bernard Smith seems like a giant from another era, and it's kind of heartening he's still going. And mea culpa: I should have checked (first rule of not being lazy).Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-56157969718160570912009-09-10T09:00:21.829+10:002009-09-10T09:00:21.829+10:00Ah - well the point is that Sontag didn't exis...Ah - well the point is that Sontag didn't exist in a university, but was a major figure in the (quality) mass media. And brilliant and necessary though his thinking is, I haven't read Agamben in the Age recently.Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-42689476683722371732009-09-10T04:01:10.720+10:002009-09-10T04:01:10.720+10:00I would be careful not to confuse great thinking o...I would be careful not to confuse great thinking of the past with 'theatre coverage' in the arts pages. Comparative lack of Susan Sontag-like figures has not been proven yet to have occurred on a global scale, and has probably not happened in Australia. The shrinkage of the theatre reviews, on the other hand, may have to do more with the market for both theatre and the newspapers. HoweverJanahttp://guerrillasemiotics.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-8675531157730221442009-09-09T22:59:17.757+10:002009-09-09T22:59:17.757+10:00Eek! Bernard's not dead! He had a bit of a hea...Eek! Bernard's not dead! He had a bit of a health scare last summer, but he's doing well now and will be turning 93 in October. The only other Bernard Smith I know of was an eighteenth century organ maker(?).<br /><br />John Armstrong? He's surely as much an Aus.P.I. as Clive JAmes. Armstrong has a brief few pages on theatre in his latest book (A Weak Pot of Tea).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-45716206460636187972009-09-09T22:23:09.688+10:002009-09-09T22:23:09.688+10:00I realise that political correctness has been used...I realise that political correctness has been used negatively in the past and been overcome (though I would agree that I am in severe need of some historical perspective, as well as a brain, heart, and a...no wait, that’s the Wizard of Oz), but I would tentatively suggest that...actually, I’ll just leave it there on second thought.<br /><br />The “theatre criticism of the past” I referred to Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-4359196733593587902009-09-09T18:09:53.708+10:002009-09-09T18:09:53.708+10:00Um. EP, a bit of historical perspective might help...Um. EP, a bit of historical perspective might help here. If you want to see actual political correctness at work, you can do worse than look at the characterisations of, say, first wave feminists, or race activists in mid-century America (or if you want contemporary examples, just glance over any right wing nutcase blog). Intolerance and misrepresentation is as old as people wanting to change Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-18307835355437002932009-09-09T17:31:28.513+10:002009-09-09T17:31:28.513+10:00I would agree that differing from the consensus us...I would agree that differing from the consensus usually causes tremors, though I suppose the point I’m trying to make (quite badly) is that with the advent of political correctness the tremors are far more severe than they used to be. While the public intellectual may find it necessary to tread on a few toes in service of the truth, those around them (in the media where they get coverage, for Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-41524757765715784812009-09-09T16:24:00.823+10:002009-09-09T16:24:00.823+10:00Is saying anything that differs from the received ...Is saying anything that differs from the received consensus ever done without tremors? I doubt it. As for the question of whether to speak or not: as Sancz said above, such choices are not always about simple choice. At that point, the question of bread or truth, they reach into the question of necessity. And yes, I've earned the right to say that. <br /><br />I suspect, EP, that whether a Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-44433525211164058792009-09-09T12:32:25.757+10:002009-09-09T12:32:25.757+10:00“I'd say the reason for the decline of the PI ...“I'd say the reason for the decline of the PI isn't anything so conscious” – I was under the impression that Pi went on forever? (Terrible joke, I know.)<br /><br />I wouldn’t necessarily call the problem a “terrifying apathy”, Alison, though I think that may very well be one of the symptoms. Could it perhaps be that age old fear of asking a stupid question, or maybe even an offensive Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-35239148771823842102009-09-09T09:10:00.939+10:002009-09-09T09:10:00.939+10:00Hi Sancz - nice to meet you (and your most interes...Hi Sancz - nice to meet you (and your most interesting blog - thanks especially for that discussion of A Kind of Ruckus). You might find Peter Singer's comments on Australian higher ed - link above - pertinent to what you're saying about university culture here!<br /><br />To be honest, I think what is probably the most important qualification for the "intellectual" tag is Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-63308996191913484102009-09-08T21:21:48.279+10:002009-09-08T21:21:48.279+10:00I have been following these discussions on your va...I have been following these discussions on your various blogs, and reading this particular thread I am struck by a couple of thoughts about the lack of in-depth discussion around theatre, particularly in Australia. Firstly the mass media is not doing its bit, and secondly there are massive economic factors at play.<br /><br />Alison's point about mass-media ethos is certainly accurate. I the anvilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10998197320531065441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-81517532988571695312009-09-08T12:48:31.276+10:002009-09-08T12:48:31.276+10:00I'd say the reason for the decline of the PI i...I'd say the reason for the decline of the PI isn't anything so conscious, George. I'd point towards the ethos of the mass media, which has narrowed the perameters of public thought to the op-ed piece and the soundbite. When you read something like Joseph Roth's exquisitely written feuilletons, which were written for the daily press, you can see how things have shifted. Still, Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-87222777336487795042009-09-08T00:23:38.755+10:002009-09-08T00:23:38.755+10:00Unwringing my hands for a moment, I type a few wor...Unwringing my hands for a moment, I type a few words of thanks to Andrew for pushing the discussion onward. I note Zizek as well, though in the U.S. his work most often appears in the journal Lacanian Ink -- a fine publication (www.lacan.com), but you're unlikely to find it stacked next to Time or Newsweek at the local newsstand.<br /><br />What you're pointing out here, Andrew, is that George Hunkahttp://www.georgehunka.com/blognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-74965587273005508752009-09-08T00:02:51.695+10:002009-09-08T00:02:51.695+10:00Hi Ethel, Jana, Andrew - thanks for the comments. ...Hi Ethel, Jana, Andrew - thanks for the comments. Some random responses: Yes, before I forget, I've been enjoying Louis Nowra too. And point taken on Zizek - absolutely fair enough. And you can blame the Australian Public Intellectuals Network - how marvellous that there is such a thing - for the misspelling.<br /><br />And do you know Ethel, aside from the performances, or at least most of Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-52488175665725360522009-09-07T22:00:50.492+10:002009-09-07T22:00:50.492+10:00Hello,
It's lovely to be back and being discu...Hello,<br /><br />It's lovely to be back and being discussed like this. Jana, I possibly did go a bit far with the "stripped of funding" comment. In context - Hoipolloi getting warm reviews and nominated for awards - it seemed a lot less irresponsible.<br /><br />As for "claimng Zizek" - I guess he's a "public intellectual" here in Britain insofar as he has Andrew Haydonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05568061302451610140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-76611138830365176362009-09-07T21:06:46.733+10:002009-09-07T21:06:46.733+10:00oh and I nearly forgot! I too saw that Alana Valen...oh and I nearly forgot! I too saw that Alana Valentine on ABC Fora yesterday. What a shocker! How tasteless to turn the Alex Buzo lecture into an undignified whingeathon about her own case of OPAD (Other Peoples' Attention Deficit) about HERSELF, complete with Publication List! <br /><br />AND it seemed to be at base a Sydneycentric (yawn) snit about how there are "too many" Ethel Malley (Miss)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-91193718150860270362009-09-07T20:28:28.651+10:002009-09-07T20:28:28.651+10:00Number 10 Inga Clendinnen is misspelt! and please ...Number 10 Inga Clendinnen is misspelt! and please who is number 22 John Frow? Never heard of him. That's all right, as I imagine he's never heard of me. <br /><br />(So you don't have to live or work here to be a public intellectual? Throw in Clive James then?) And what about those creepy Counterpoint guys on Radio National with their strangely arbitrary Thatcherite manque' agendaEthel Malley (Miss)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-51040943372630421112009-09-07T18:34:33.177+10:002009-09-07T18:34:33.177+10:00Mea culpa, actually, for the phrasing. I think Hay...Mea culpa, actually, for the phrasing. I think Haydon is completely right for mentioning Zizek, who is definitely a public intellectual on an enormous scale, and whose insights are equally applicable in the UK as they are in Slovenia (the fact that Haydon is much more aware of Neue Slovenische Kunst than the average British punter is a separate issue), or Australia for that matter. God help us onJanahttp://guerrillasemiotics.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-88477517136517643172009-09-07T15:13:20.104+10:002009-09-07T15:13:20.104+10:00Hi Jana - by "our" I'm being parochi...Hi Jana - by "our" I'm being parochial - I mean Australia. And yes, to generalise with polemic force, I agree with you on the general tenor of public debate here. Especially in the arts. Now I feel obliged to state that there are exceptions... but they almost always happen despite the prevailing culture, not because of it.<br /><br />Which is not to say there are not smart and Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.com