Dirty narrative

[hollsterhambone]

I am so shocked by today's news about VA Tech. I am not sure why I'm so shocked as this sort of thing seems to happen all of the time. Of course the scale of it. I just can't imagine

Comments

[siyeh]

Yeah, maybe, somehow, people feel relieved by the revelation of some sort of motive or reason that would make it a unique situation, therefore more removed from their own lives. From our own lives.

[tomtomtomtomtom]

Whenever one of these happens, I'm reminded of the Whitman story: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Whitman

Amanda: I never replied to your other post telling you how I am doing in France. I am a jerk who does not keep up with friends. Please forgive me and I will give you an update when my thoughts are not occupied by school shootings.

[hollsterhambone]

Ah, I see they've already revised the Whitman to include yesterday's events.

[hollsterhambone]

That would make a ton of sense. Pin it down so it's specific--not specific to me.

[pissang]

As you know, in the Interpretation of Dreams, Freud delineates his theory of the manifest content and the latent content whereby analysis of the former (what you see) will yield the latter (the true story that was hidden underneath). I don't love that model as a mode of analysis because of what you just said. I can't believe there is one correct story. But I don't think it is bad to create narratives either, nor that the lack of a "true" one means that all narratives are mirages to use your word. What I think is unhealthy is the desire to consume images (i.e. the news). Analyzing, on the other hand, or so we tell our students, is a worthy exercise. Now excuse me while I reenter my lj persona.

[hollsterhambone]

Oh, the narrative isn't a mirage, the hope that analysis will yield truth is a mirage. I should have been more careful about my writing.

Yes, Freud is irritating, which is why he's so hilarious to study, right? I mean, of course he's wrong and ridiculous in every way! But I still think it's funny to entertain him.

I'm conflicted about consuming images: there can be a visual as well as an intellectual story. Sometimes these are independent of each other, sometimes these coexist. Maybe it's unhealthy when the visual narrative overwhelmingly overtakes the intellectual one?