Saturday, November 16, 2013

Erratic excess vs. normalising discourse

Brian Massumi apparently made a claim that capitalism has already overcome the logic of totalising normality and adopted the logic of erratic excess

"The more varied, and even erratic, the better. Normality starts to lose its hold. The regularities start to loosen. This loosening is part of capitalism's dynamic."

I think normalisation goes hand in hand with erratic excess though, the latter legitimises the former. In fact, the latter happens within the limits of the illusion of choice offered by the former.

Besides, the Weberian rational bureaucracy was more a wishful project than a totalised reality. Anyone who has ever had to deal with it can confirm that it is mostly anything but rational.

I feel though that Baudrillard must have written that long time ago... :-)

A handy term at any rate, erratic excess...

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