Shaviro writes:
I just signed the collective letter of protest being sent by university professors [and others] to The New York Times, in objection to the paper’s “mean-spirited and uninformed” obituary for Jacques Derrida.
I’ve added my signature.
In a separate letter to the Times, Judith Butler writes:
Why would the NY Times want to join ranks with American reactionary anti-intellectualism precisely at a time when critical thinking is most urgently required?
It is worth noting that the same thing could have been said about the obituary the Times printed for Edward Said, which was equally offensive and ignorant.
Amardeep Singh has excerpts from Judith Butler’s obituary of Derrida.
My last post on Derrida is here.
UPDATE: The NY Times seems to be trying to make up for things with this Op-Ed piece. It is marginally better, even if it still worries excessively about “political correctness.”
UPDATE: It is worth noting that, in stark contrast to the Times, Le Monde had a 10 page section devoted to Derrida the day after he died. Ah, those French Theory Checkers at work again!
