miker replied to Etienne:
"I disagree with your comment about the denial of
auto-justification of power. In hardboiled detective
literature, the exact opposite is the normal state of
affairs. The detective's illegal activities are justified by
the end result.
"The dominant political theme in hardboiled literature is
that fascism defeats anarchy."
Can fascism be wielded by an individual? Isn't it by
definition a social political movement? And I took it that
Foucault, uh, Etienne was referring to the auto-justification
of power within a culture, not an individual.
Yes, the detective's activities are often illegal and he
often takes power into his own hands, but his power is
severely limited. He rarely makes even a dent on the forces
of society, at most takes out one boss who will soon be
replaced by another just as bad, if not worse. Does he ever
really defeat anarchy? I don't think so. At most, he keeps
himself from being sucked into the void.
Mark
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