3/19/2017 AnotherStrangeFrenchDisasterbyBernardHenriLvyProjectSyndicate

CULTURE&SOCIETY

BERNARDHENRILVY
BernardHenriLe vyisoneofthefoundersoftheNouveauxPhilosophes(New
Philosophers)movement.HisbooksincludeLeftinDarkTimes:AStandAgainsttheNew
Barbarism,AmericanVertigo:TravelingAmericaintheFootstepsofTocqueville,and
mostrecently,TheGeniusofJudaism.

MAR17,2017

AnotherStrangeFrenchDisaster
PARISThehungergamesaspectofthisFrenchelectioncyclebeganontheleft.President
FranoisHollandewasbroughtdownbyhisownSocialistParty.Hollandesprimeminister,
ManuelValls,becamethesecondcourseatthecannibalsbanquet.

Bythen,thecorpseofoneofFrancestwomajorparties,nolongermerelysupine,had
reachedanadvancedstateofdecomposition.Now,attheverymomentwhenonemight
expectapresidentialcandidatetotellthenationwhathethinksofDonaldTrump,Vladimir
Putin,andIslamicradicals,theSocialistcandidate,thewanBenotHamon,indsnothing
bettertotalkaboutthanlegalmarijuana,redsludge,andendocrinedisruptors.

Ontheright,thedisasterisjustnowcresting.Earlyon,formerpresidentNicolasSarkozy
waseliminated.FormerPrimeMinisterAlainJuppe ,afterbeingcrownedvirtualpresident
formuchoflastyear,wastoppledbythosewhohadadoredhim.And,inthewakeofthe
scandalsurroundingFranoisFillon,theRepublicannomineeandthemanwhodefeated
him,Juppe losthisnerveandonMarch6deinitivelyquittherace.

Fillon,oncetheclearfrontrunner,thechoiceoffourmillionprimaryvoters,hasnow
broughtforththespectacleofapartyofmutineerstryingtonudgehimoutoftherace.
Schemes,evasions,calculations,andbargainsmultiply,allbasedonpollsinterpretedbythe
modernequivalentsofRomanharuspices.Anothercorpse.

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Entertheinvestigatingmagistrates,whoobviouslyareplayingtheirrightfulroleinhearing
evidenceaboutafakejobsscandalinvolvingFillonswifeandchildren.Theirintegrity,
however,willnotbeimpugnedbyagentlereminderthatthey,too,arehumanbeings,
susceptibletohumanpassionsandresentments;thattheconsiderablepowertheywield
tends,asallpowerdoes,toreachasfarasitcan;andthat,asaconsequence,theyhave
becomefullyenmeshedinacampaignfromwhich,invokingMontesquieu,theyshould
strivescrupulouslytoholdthemselvesatadistance.

Butwe,citizensandvoterseachandeveryoneofusaretheworstpartofthisentire
picture.Ournewandstrangerelationshiptopolitics,asevidencedbythecurrent
circumstances,canbesummedupinthreeterms.

Cancan.Or,moreaccurately,cantcant:thegripingwedoupontheWednesdayappearance
ofthenewLeCanardEnchan,thesatiricalweeklywhoseinsurrectionaryhumor,once
fodderfortheloosecannonsoftheleftandright,isbecomingtheeverydaylanguageof
politics.Therewasatimewhenreadingthenewspaperwas,accordingtoHegel,the
philosophersmorningprayer.Nowreadingthatparticularnewspaperfeedsthe
electoratesinsatiableappetiteforridicule.

WithwhatsardonicanticipationFrenchreadersawaitthelatestonthebasedoingsofour
electedoficialsandtheirrivals!Withwhatgreedydelectationdowedevourourweekly
doseofcorruption,rot,andscandal!Andwhatbleakdisappointmentwefeel,whatsudden
lossofinterestinlife,when,bychance,thereisnothingnewtoreport.Oughtwenotbearin
mind,withthepoetSte phaneMallarme ,thatwhenweamuseourselvesthusandbecomeso
inebriatedwithscandal,weyawngloomilytowardadarkdemise.

Spectacle.Inlieuofjudgment,wegetceaselessandfrivolouscommentaryonthethousand
andonetwistsandturnsoftheelectoralcontest.Once,thenewsmediacoveredsportsasif
itwerepolitics.Nowpoliticalcommentaryresemblessportscoverage.

Gameanalysishasbecometheparadigmofpoliticalnarrative.And,inthevenerable
countrysaidbyMarxtobethepoliticalnationparexcellence,politicsisbecominga
subspeciesofsoccer,withitsteams,fans,referees,andhighscorers.Isitanysurprisethat
attheheightoftheFillonaffair,therightwingbossesandtheirphantomcoachesturned
(doctrinalandstylisticdifferencesbedamned!)totheirbenchwarmers,whowere
supposedtobewaitingtoenterthegame?Likewise,onewonderswhetherFillonsloyalists
seeinhimanythingmorethanhisstamina,hisabilitytotakeabeating,ortheigurehecut
when,afterbeingknockedlatonhisback,hegotupasifreturningtoanuninishedight.

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3/19/2017 AnotherStrangeFrenchDisasterbyBernardHenriLvyProjectSyndicate

Equality.Eagernessforitwas,once,thenoblestofpassions;therewas,inthatpassion,the
dreamofcultivatingthebodypoliticand,insodoing,dignifyingpolitics.AndIagreewith
thephilosopherJeanClaudeMilnerwho,inhisrecentbook,RelirelaRvolution,takeson
theAnatoleFranceofTheGodsAreAthirst.Farfromsimplyofferingthepeopletheirdaily
rationofblood,Robespierrealsotried,inhisway,tocheckthedescentofthemassesintoa
vengefulmobandtosavewhatcouldbesavedofthebalancesinherentinrepublican
hierarchy.

Thereisnoneofthatintodaysbrandofegalitarianismnothingbutamobinchingever
closertoitsmomentofultimatepowerwhilepromotinganequalitynotofcommoninterest
butofcomplaints,indignities,grudges,andcorruption.And,amongthefragmented,
distraughtchildrenoftheEnlightenment,amongthezombieheirsofRousseauibrillating
betweenaggressiveness,blindness,anddespair,equalityisnolongerataskbutataint,a
sortofdarkshroud,ahaloofresentmentandhatredtowhichourcommontongueistiedas
toabuoyinatide.

Anotherdisaster.Anotherdelusion.Fromredemptiveegalitarianismtoequalopportunity
grousingandscoresettling,wehavehikedthepaththatleadsasocietyfromlifetodeath.

Frighteningasitsounds,thatiswhereFranceindsitself:notinamerecrisis,butinthelast
stagesofwhatthegreatantiNazihistorianMarcBlochcalled,in1940,hisnationsstrange
defeat.Weconfrontnotalonetreeofiniquity,butratheravastforestofmurkywords,
dangerousandlunaticintheirdebasement.

And,lyinginwait,guidedbytheEumenides(theGreekdeitiesofvengeancewhosenameis
synonymouswithfuryaswellasjustice),aigureistakingshapeasif,inclassicalterms,in
fulillmentofadreadfulfate:MarineLePen.

http://prosyn.org/XnkMXeO

19952017ProjectSyndicate

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