The Salon Interview: Camille Paglia

Omen? Why take it as a negative?
Perhaps the omen should be interpreted that we are going too slowly with Iraq. Time is not on our side.
Or, perhaps, and more sanely, the Columbia tragedy is unrelated to Iraq, just as it is unrelated to the Pro Bowl.

I have strongly mixed feelings about this one. Paglia's the BEST, her books are epic and she's my educational inspiration and role model.

I'm relieved to see her back in the mix. We've definitely had a shortage of Paglia action in the discourse. Welcome back.

Precisely what makes her such an intellectual force is what really disturbed me about this interview, though. Her ability to detach from the subjectivity and relative historical myopia of the rest of us, and her capacity for "symbolic thinking:" Its a great way to read history and contemporary human activity. But, (finally i can disagree with my hero for something) treating the Columbia tragedy as a symbol comes across as simply sang-froid.

The ability to read the world like one reads a book is what i love about her, and she's always on the mark. Nevertheless, this interpretation does some disservice to the families of the late astronauts. They are searching for answers like the rest of us, and symbolism, i don't think, satisfies them or us.

In sum: great, cogent, fiery interview, it was like the comeback tour of a long absent rock star.

The severity of Paglia's objectivity toward Columbia's very recent explosion read like a litmus test on just how shockingly far-removed her mentality is from the rest of us. Which is of course why she's so great, but its hard to relate to her on a human level on this issue, which is why i'm somewhat freaked out.

Paglia's a sumo of intellect, but seems impervious to the fact that symbolism is only a theory and of little human consolation to the rest of us.

Paglia's astrology-alchemy approach, while it may have merits in its embracement of the mysterious and the Incomprehensible which the age of enlightenment did not allow for, the analysis seems counter-intuitive to us functioning in our science-driven age of technology.

Did any of this make sense?

Paglia's perspective, though i disagree with this facet of it, is indefatigably original and bristling with personality, and it was sorely missed on my part. Its fantastic that we're debating with Paglia ideas again!

Outstanding interview. I too am a 'democratic libertarian' who voted for Nader. Paglia makes the most compelling case against attacking Iraq I have read or heard. The Bush approach is typical Republican; just tell people what they, by god, have to do and make them do it with a beefed up police force and military. It's all so simple. But the real problem is in the long term repercussions, not just to our economy, but a likely INCREASE in terrorism that will last for years, possibly decades. The Bush administration should call time out and think deeply about unintentional long-term consequences.

What you have to consider are the long term "reprecussions" of doing nothing about Iraq. Especially at this point after all the words that have come from us. I'm for taking care of Iraq and let the chips fall where they may. I'm not afraid of the Arab/Muslim world.

They want to rumble well now they got it! You should just get out of the way. Lord knows you won't be complaining when your oil/gasoline supply are stabilized by the US instead of being threatened by Saddam (with the help of the Chinese) a few years from now.

Kings throughout history have been shaken by signals like this from beyond: Think twice about what you're doing. If a Roman general tripped on the threshold before a battle, he'd call it off.

This is what Machiavelli says in his Discources:

Whence it arises I do not know, but from ancient and modern examples it is seen that no great event ever takes place in a City or a Province that has not been predicted either by fortune tellers, by revelations, by prodigies, or by other celestial signs. [...] (First Book, Chapter LVI)

I generally appreciate Paglia's opinions, but not in giving Iraq more time, inspections, etc. They have had enough time. It is important to know when you're being jerked around. I think that now would be a good time for all those who would give Iraq more time, consideration, benefit of the doubt, etc, to start drafting their replies for when we go in and locate the WMD that Saddam claims not to have.

Joe C.

Paglia betrays her own convictions in this interview. She shows a failure of nerve. First of all, Talbott is wrong to call the 60s "Dionysian" in a paglian sense. The Greek god Dionysus is much too fierce and "chthonian," as Paglia interprets him, for the decidedly "bacchanalian" 60s. The softer and less serious Roman god Bacchus suffices to describe them.

Paglia reverence for sport and the military supposedly springs from her reverence for Dionysus. The Dionysian is no picnic (Sexual Personae p.5). But here we see Paglia taking NYT's columnist Nicholas Kristoff's line, i.e., fear Dionysus, don't face up to him. The Islamofascists may spoil our travel plans!

The interview suggests that Paglia, like her mentor Harold Bloom, lives only in her bacchanalian head after all. Oriana Fallaci she ain't.

Pagalia voted twice for bill, then Nader ??
and is titled an intellectual?

I'm reading "Threatening Storm", a review of Iraq, and Sadam
and it points out that while bill was attempting his legacy
with Israel and Palestine...Al was the point man to handle
Iraq. Al's intentions were agressive, with goals of
overthrough, and disarmerment .... look what was accomplished. ... "0"

With N Korea and 4years of 'Trust but don't verify'
anyone should see why now is the time to address Iraq.
Will chemical weapons fall on the troops ...
that up to 'how Iraq generals' want to be treated.

A voice of reason and prudence on foreign policy which the Wilsonian freepers should heed...though why in the heck did not vote for a has-been statist like Ralph Nader who has nothing but contempt for liberty?

As we speak, I have a terrible sense of foreboding, because last weekend a stunning omen occurred in this country. Anyone who thinks symbolically had to be shocked by the explosion of the Columbia shuttle, disintegrating in the air and strewing its parts and human remains over Texas -- the president's home state! So many times in antiquity, the emperors of Persia or other proud empires went to the oracles to ask for advice about going to war. Roman generals summoned soothsayers to read the entrails before a battle. If there was ever a sign for a president and his administration to rethink what they're doing, this was it.

Here is a pro-abortion lesbian preaching to us on the meaning of religious omens. Does anyone else find this very strange?