The Salon Interview: Camille Paglia

Salon.com ^ | 2/7/03 | David Talbot

[andrew]

The Salon Interview: Camille Paglia Bad omen: Why the Columbia disaster should make Bush think twice about rushing to war with Iraq.

- - - - - - - - - - - - By David Talbot

Feb. 7, 2003 |

Camille Paglia is a rarity in the increasingly polarized world of public intellectuals, a high-profile thinker and writer who is not readily identified with any political camp or party line. She burst onto the scene in 1990 following the publication of her book, "Sexual Personae." Paglia was a rough-trade feminist not afraid to challenge the orthodoxy of the women's movement or its reigning sisterhood; a professor from a small college with no qualms about torching the Parisian academic trends then enthralling Ivy League humanities departments; a self-proclaimed "Democratic libertarian" who voted twice for Bill Clinton and then loudly denounced him for bringing shame to his office.

Given Paglia's originality and unpredictability, we had no idea what to expect when we phoned her earlier this week for her opinions on the Bush administration's looming war with Iraq. Paglia proudly describes herself as a Dionysian child of the '60s, a generation not known for its martial spirit. And yet, during her long run as a Salon columnist, she developed an enthusiastic following among conservatives, including retired and active military personnel, for her eloquent tributes to family, tradition, country and uniformed service, as well as her stop-your-blubbering take on modern American life.

Paglia retired her Salon column last year to focus on teaching -- she is university professor of humanities and media studies at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia - and to finish her fifth book, a study of poetry that will be published by Pantheon Books. She returns in the Salon Interview to reveal her opinions on Iraq for the first time. "The foreign press has asked me repeatedly to comment on Iraq, and I've said I don't think it's right as an American citizen to do that. I said I should reserve my criticisms of the administration for home consumption," said Paglia. "That's why I'm talking to you now."

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[RobFromGa]

Under the previous SLIMEBALL administration, here's how we would have known it was an ORANGE alert:

This is what she would have worn yesterday:

And watch out for this outfit.

[rrcobra]

What a self absorbed crock....

[canuck_conservative]

Camilla Paglia is one bizarre package.

She's pro-war, but wanted the antiwar demonstrations to succeed. She's understands "tribal politics", but then can't comprehend how the US could be fired up by 9-11. She likes Condi's strength, but then complains she's too macho. And on it goes ....

And that comment about the shuttle "omen" over Texas - she's one weird woman.

[RobFromGa]

Here is why Ms. anti-American Paglia uses a cartoon:

[ggekko]

Ping.

Geostrategy has never been Camille's strong suit. She always showed her best and most surpirsing talents in analyzing the psyches of world leaders.

What Camille doesn't seem to grasp is that Saddam is following a assymetric warfare strategy in which his objective is to acquire WMDs the goal of which is to make him immune from Great Power attack. Having achieved his first goal Saddam would then be free to pursue a strategy of regional domination and thereby become the reincarnation of King Nebuchadnezzar (which his view of himself) .

Britain and France could have stopped Hitler at little cost when, in contravention of the Versailles treay, he annexed Austria. But they waited and dithered and hoped for more International consensus. Eventually the cost to Britain and France became immense.

We do not need to follow their example.

[Dialup Llama]

Could use a bit more sun, maybe some exercise, how about eating at least once a day?

[Dialup Llama]

Disney's animatronic robotics are getting really good, almost lifelike.

[Dialup Llama]

>You have to tip your hat to her for her "ominous" reading of the shuttle disaster. That was, at the very least, one of the creepiest arguments for rethinking a full-throttle, speedy assault I've come across yet.

Its all they discuss on what's left of the Art Bell show.

[ggekko]

Ping.

Geostrategy has never been Camille's strong suit. She always showed her best and most surpirsing talents in analyzing the psyches of world leaders.

What Camille doesn't seem to grasp is that Saddam is following a assymetric warfare strategy in which his objective is to acquire WMDs the goal of which is to make him immune from Great Power attack. Having achieved his first goal Saddam would then be free to pursue a strategy of regional domination and thereby become the reincarnation of King Nebuchadnezzar (which his view of himself) .

Britain and France could have stopped Hitler at little cost when, in contravention of the Versailles treay, he annexed Austria. But they waited and dithered and hoped for more International consensus. Eventually the cost to Britain and France became immense.

We do not need to follow their example.

[thwack]

"They seem to think the universe consists of America and then everyone else -- small-potatoes people who can be steamrolled."

Is she talking about how the lefties view the many European countries (other than France and Germany) that are on board with the "unilateralist" policy of the United States?

[Bobby777]

Disney's animatronic robotics are getting really good, almost lifelike.

yes, but for some reason, the women still look like men ... odd ...

[The Great Satan]

What Camille doesn't seem to grasp is that Saddam is following a assymetric warfare strategy in which his objective is to acquire WMDs the goal of which is to make him immune from Great Power attack.

And what everybody else fails to grasp is that he has already achieved this goal.

[big bad easter bunny]

I have to disagree, she is not an idiot. She is the opposite, she is very bright. Reading her book, you will need an unabridged Oxford dictionary to get through even a page or two. I guess you already read it.

[TheMole]

I originally discovered FR through the "Whitewater File" link on Drudge. I believe Drudge delinked because he got flamed and insulted by idiots and trolls coming from this site. Drudge still links to a remarkable plethora of conservative sites. it would be nice if he relinked, but I'm not holding my breath.

[Kenny Bunk]

You know, I had never been able to figure out why the Left considers Drudge (or us) so "Right Wing."

We are the modern "Reader's Digest." Where else could any concerned individual scan so many news sources so efficiently. The Freepers are to the right, but hardly uniform in our views.

I think what is pissing off the left is they had control of access to what was mainstream news for decades. When their dirty little secret came out, i.e. they never print the important news in its entirety, and they never print some of the most important news at all.

When the people of the country can see everything by trading news with each other, these bastards haven't a chance.

[lainie]

Perhaps everyone that WAILS about Drudge not linking FR will shut up for awhile.

[lainie]

I think you're absolutely right -- and an example is last week, when a rallying cry from some parrot lefties became "Take Back The Media." Can it be put any more succinctly?

[jejones]

Interesting--and also depressing to see someone normally pretty rational go on so about the Columbia's explosion as an evil omen.

[pook]

Paglia's book 'Sexual Personae' had an incredible influence on me. I recognized myself in her 'Pagan Beauty' chapter... she infected me with realizing I was a 'beautiful boy'. Her thoughts later aided my metamorphosis like something out of Ovid.

The next few years, in my spare time, I've been studying sexuality and I've found some of the same conclusions as Paglia but many more unturned stones.

Paglia's thoughts on Iraq are completely predictable. Here's why:

Ever since the beginning, people have always thought themselves controlled in some way. People turned rivers, volcanos, clouds, and the sun into gods. Others imagined a grand prince who would tend his nation like a gardener does his garden. And as a gardener has his hooks and shears, so does the prince have his laws, regulations, and armies.

People view tyranny as a 'slavery'. But when someone like Moses freed people from slavery, they still reverted to a paganism and demanded that Moses act like a prince. They even created a golden calf to control them. Throughout Chinese history, the pattern is cyclical. The people thought the emperor to be a 'prince' and to 'control' them. Alas, an earthquake or flood occurs and the prince is thrown out with another taken in his place.

The point of what I'm getting at is that most of Human history, man has thought himself controlled rather than free. He places his destiny in a prince or god. This is why for thousands of years, humanity often starved or perished from the elements (or slaughtered each other in stupid wars).

This is the fruit of classical education: the notion of a prince to control people from Plato's 'philosopher kings' on up to Rousseau.

Man knowing himself free has happened in spurts and spasms throughout history. But a nation did so here a couple of centuries ago, and the world forever changed.

There is an intellectual fashion to say or try to prove that Humankind is CONTROLLED by something. Some people say speech and media controls us and alters us. Others say everything is a matter of psychology. Yet, a few say that it is entirely our environment. A more popular idea coming forth now is that GENETICS controls us. Whatever it is, it is that Humanity is under control of some 'authority' and free will is an illusion.

Paglia believes that Humankind is under some authority. She gives it the name of 'nature' with 'sexuality' pulling the rug from our lofty ideals.

I live in north Texas. I heard the explosion and looked up at the brilliant sky. I know that Columbia blew apart due to some malfunction, perfectly reasonable and caused by error. Paglia insists that it is an 'action' from the 'Authority'. She then digs into classical romanism to say that the romans would think that. Of course they would! They believed everyone was under an authority as does Paglia.

This is the grounding reason, no matter what evidence is present nor how damning it is, why people insist on going through the UN or some coalition. They still demand some 'authority'. But diplomacy is a made up world of theories and more theories. Oh, how I wish I could move to this World of Theory all the intellectuals come from! For in Theory, everything is correct.

This rooting for some 'authority' is the same everywhere for these people (to them, Democracy means creating a god whose name is Will of the People and we see his scriptures in charts, polls, and such).

The American Revolution has turned global. People are learning that they do not live under some authority, that they possess free will. THESE are what cults like extreme like Islam hate (remember, they believe Allah is the 'authority' and sets the destiny for them all!). The technology unleashed from this revolution is wonderous. But the old school of thought will use them to their own ends. The tank was meant for farming. They made it into a weapon. On 9/11, we saw airplanes (used solely for transportation) be turned into missiles. Box cutters became used to slit people's throats.

The same trend is following with biological technologies. Paglia can believe in some great overall 'authority' that controls. But I will believe that we are free people, independent, who are composed with life, liberty, and the quest for joyfulness. We will tell these authority worshipers that freedom is not the cutting of chains or food stamps. Freedom is a matter of mind where people take up their own responsibilities and tell the leaders what to do, rather than dumping responsibility on a leader and have him tell us what to do. One day, it will become absurd to blame a politician for the faults of the economy just as it is now to blame a politician for hail and frost.

Ms. Paglia, you will not place a crown on Nature. We don't see your 'authorities' which is why the commentary seems silly as a child demanding he go ask Santa Clause before he acts.

What you call arrogance, I call independence. What you call destiny, I call a matter of will. And what you call extremism, I call a day's work.