Hello Readers,
In our ASTU class we recently finished reading the first chapter of Judith Butler’s Frames of War: When is Life Grievable? It is a challenging read, but very interesting since it is our first glimpse of the work of a literary theorist. Butler deals with several issues, such as shared vulnerability, framing situations and the socialized responses to the world around us, as well as questioning social responsibility.
For the purpose of this blog post, I mainly want to focus on the question of social responsibility. Butler asks, “Am I responsible for all others, or only to some, and on what basis would I draw that line?” (35). This particular question jumped out at me. Lately a theme of “us vs them” has been recurring in a lot of our CAP classes. This ideology, though prominent in most societies, never really sat well with me. It is a natural human response, to be sure. “You’re either with me, or a threat to me.” This frame of mind has been the natural self-preservation instinct that has kept humans alive for thousands of years. That’s why I find Butler’s proposal of shared vulnerability so fascinating. Following a Hegelian perspective, Butler points out that in times of war, destruction leads to further destruction. She argues that war actively seeks out to deny our mutual vulnerability and shared interdependency (43). Only through “multilateral and global agreements based on the recognition of a shared precariousness” can we eliminate, or at least dilute the significance of an “us vs them” mindset (43).
Humans are social creatures. And I truly believe that we are capable of understanding one another, despite differences in culture, religion, beliefs, and norms. Despite diverging backgrounds, we are all united in our “precariousness”.
What do you think readers? Do you agree?
Until next time,
-Kendall Manifould
Works Cited:
Butler, Judith. “Survivability, Vulnerability, Affect.” Frames of War: When is a Life Grievable? London: Verso, 2009. 33-62. Print.