A Response to the Comments in "The Midlothian Campaign"

The question of who creates historical truth has been over-simplified on both ends of the political spectrum. The problems with the convervative movement's sacred cows are obvious, but the Gramscian perspective I believe Sei advocates is also limiting, due to the simple fact that it's not only dead white males who are stuck in their cultural framework -- we're all stuck in our cultural framework, and nothing Barthes has written will help us escape it. (In fact, if I'm remembering my college days accurately, it will only create a huge muddle that we'll never be able to get out of.)

That's why we need to cling to rationality at all costs, while recognizing that the process, due to our limited perspective, will always be imperfect. It was this stance that led the British to talk themselves out of an empire -- and, in the same way, it's why we need to have a nationwide conversation about whether the need for oil is worth flexing our muscles to get it. The answer could very well be yes, it is worth it, but the fact that Bush won't let us have this conversation makes me think we're in big trouble.

How's that?