I only read about his passing yesterday evening. I don't really follow the news as closely as I used to.
Well, Edward Said probably puts it better, but he's so damn wordy:
Most people are principally aware of one culture, one setting, one home; exiles are aware of at least two, and the plurality of vision gives rise to an awareness of simultaneous dimensions.From Reflections on Exile and Other Essays, 2000.
From an entry from way back in August of last year, See the Chris Tucker quote from Rush Hour. That one also has the kabuki/race discussion comparison Jason probably had in mind in the thread over at Cobb's.
Where there's also a finer tribute to Edward Said than I'm capable of writing.
Bit emotionally drained today, and not very good at eulogies even when I'm not.
Part of me wants very much to have a look at the warblogs to see what they had to say about the late Professor Said, and I know that a year ago I wouldn't hesitate to do exactly that.
Times change.
9/28: Edit to correct a link.
you don't want to go there. I hit a small victory today, and not only did she have choice things about said to say, but she also threw in a few offensive comments about rachel corrie.
So nice that anyone who opposes occupation and exploitation is automatically a RAGING ANTI-SEMITE.
There's a nasty joke about "some of my best friends are warbloggers" working its way towards birth in my head, and I think I should strangle it before it emerges full-formed, like Athena from the head of Zeus.
Most warbloggers (and I don't mean conservatives, though the correlation is reasonably strong) don't relate to people like Edward Said or Rachel Corrie or Robert Fisk as human beings, even in the theoretical sense. It's hard to mourn a person whose purpose in life, as you have defined it, is as an ideological punching bag.
Ginger, I agree with what you said, and I think there is also a similar danger on "our" part -- assuming you may be liberal/progressive like me (or maybe it's wishful thinking; I don't know you) -- to create caricatures of our opponents. I try to guard against it in myself, but it's not easy.
If Ann Coulter died in a car crash tonight, what would the leftosphere's reaction be? I daresay it wouldn't be pretty, but I honestly don't know if it would be as ugly as the warbloggers.
--Kynn
I almost added something to that effect, Kynn, but I felt the comment stood stronger on its own.
I live in Houston, not far from Tom DeLay's district. The depths of my contempt for DeLay are boundless. I despise him through and through, and can't abide what he stands for as a politician.
He's heavily involved in charity efforts for children. (Either handicapped or homeless, or both, I can't remember which.) He recently opened a home for them funded by his charitable foundation. Even though I figure he funded that home with moneys effectively extorted out of people who want his political influence, how can I say what he's doing there is a bad thing?
If Ann Coulter shut up, the world would be a marginally better place. But celebrating her death would be ghoulish.
Thought for the day: how much does the joy at Said's death remind you of the much-warblogged celebrations in the Palestinian territories after 9/11?
If Ann Coulter died, I would pray for her soul and wish deep condolences to her family, loved ones, and admirers.
For Professor Said, whom I greatly admire, I do exactly the same.
And as for those who say horrible things about folks like Rachel Corrie, I leave it to God to judge and just pray for them. Lord knows they need it.
Said was "wordy." I howled when coming across that.