The political statement of my thesis is absent.
The prioritising of the critical gaze over and above that of the common reader is irrelevant. Starobinski (1989) argues that the eye (mind, acuity) of the critic is attenuated to appreciate the nuance of great over humdrum. The canon remains, and the instructional element of the work of the critic is essential for a culture to progress. Societal progress is powered by the ability of its culture to reflect and celebrate this and is therefore reliant on the ability of that culture to engage with and perpetuate a higher form. It leads, enlightenment style towards the goal of a better day.
This is a marketing strategy rather than critical engagement, and the absence of progress towards a meritocratic colour neutral antifascist antiracist now undermines this philosopher’s position.
Marx and Nietzsche replace progress with an abrupt schism and redesign; better yet a reboot, and the absence of a plan in either limit the options available here. Mao and Lenin have had a stab at this (amongst others) and the prospects are not good.
The problems “found” in BLM by the FA and most notably the owners of Premier League football clubs is in the demand by the radical edge of the movement to dismantle capitalism. Viewing the change of society as elemental to eradicating racism (sexism, ageism, post-colonial politics, and inequality) is verboten. Change is fine, as long as it doesn’t affect me. This is the political position of the NFL from day one when Kaepernick took a knee, so the reaction of the overlords of English sport is hardly a surprise. The allocation of the rewards of collective effort across society on the basis of need, rather than the basis of privilege, and the implementation of a system/process/ethical view that seeks to eradicate the influence of class is essential to eliminating racism. Capital is not the root of all evil, but it most definitely contributes to powering it, making it a viable option within contemporary politics. As long as labour is seen as a resource and not human, the benefits of exploitation outweigh the opportunities of egalitarianism.
TBC.
