This video, from an interesting documentary on a wide variety of philosophical topics titled "Examined Life", addresses aspects of Butler's writing in "Against Ethical Violence": The systemization of interaction; the conception that an individual must facilitate their own 'narrativization' to interact with another person; why the body is a part of this collective rhetoric. This segment also seems to support the insights into address which Butler reflects upon when she writes, "...if there is an ethic to the address, and if judgment, including legal judgment, is one form of address, then the ethical value of judgment will be conditioned by the form of address it takes (Butler 46)." In other words, the value attributed to any interaction is based upon the type of interaction taking place. This seems intuitive, though it is important to recognize how abstract the notion of legality is when encountering someone in need or in danger. This interaction, fashioned by value and the form of judgment-potential, is what we must see as tentative and foreign to reactions of violence in response.
Alex, this is an excellent video and a comprehensive response that brings the address into the scene as a speech situation.
ReplyDeleteOf course, this speech situation requires a body to be addressed and a body from which the address happens, which I see suggested from your post. That is, we understand that Sunaura Taylor must narrate her morphology in her diverse interactions with others (e.g. when she must testify to her capabilities to get change back, after the original request, "Can you give me the bills first and then the change?" was not understood).
Hopefully, we will be able to talk about whether this "narrative" on walking produces the "straight-line" that Butler troubles in "Against Ethical Violence."
By the way, I am to give a presentation in my gender class on "the body" in two weeks, and I might suggest fellow students watch this clip. Thanks so much.