[globaloutlookDH-l] Derrida and American Attitude

Dear John,

Thanks for the Derrida snippet. I will use it in class as a example for the sort of cleverly faulty argumentation that one encounters in the Humanities so often. It is wrong in content ("Cinema is American"), in structure (the ad-hoc, nonsensical definition of 'American' in "deux choses" - one more and one less abusive), and in the artful admission and consequent concealment of his own prejudice "Perhaps my usage of the word 'American' is a little abusive, bien-sur". I hope it will remind the students (and myself) how neither cleverness nor philosophical training protects you from rationalizing your prejudices - and bullshitting about them. What does?

marcus