Below is a conversation I had with Jeff Aldrich about the quotation from Robespierre that I posted a view days ago. I've left most of the time stamps, just as a meta-commentary on the time it took us to think through some of these questions and answers.
11:45 AM
Jeff: so this robespierre quote
11:52 AM
me: yes
Jeff: do you agree with it?
specifically that this justice is worth just as much as that of the courts.
11:54 AM
me: it forces us to stop and think today
I am trying to wrap my mind around Robespierre's situation first, and then I will think about its application today
For him, the question was this: given that the French people just enacted a revolution, something that had never been done before, how does the Republic continue on?
What does a Revolutionary government look like?
Jeff: very interesting
me: For him, there should be no trial of Louis XVI because the revolution was the trial
the success of the revolution was the verdict
Jeff: that sounds fair
me: the question was a non-started
non-starter
even to entertain the idea of trying the king would be to go against the verdict enunciated by the Revolution
as such, Justice had already spoken for him
Jeff: what actually ended up happening?
i know he was executed
me: they executed him
Jeff: but did they have a trial?
me: no
Robespierre convinced them
today, however, as you pointed out, this language can be coopted to suit any number of agendas
The tea party might well try to co-opt Robespierre's sentiment, but it is not the same
Jeff: well
says you
11:59 AM
me: in fact, Robespierre talked at great length about how the Revolution was already, at that time, being used to imagine the counter-revoltuion, or the return of a monarchy
I mean that the situations are not the same
we do not have a King
Jeff: well
of course in many ways the situations are quite different
but who is to say when the situations are alike enough or not enough alike
12:01 PM
me: exactly. I think we are to say
I think these are the kinds of debates that we should have
because, these kinds of ideas force a statement of belief
in many ways, the tea party's discontent with the government rings true in many peoples' ears
but I don't know enough yet about the alternatives they propose
Jeff: i guess i would agree with you that the situations are not comparable really
right
in the french revolution
they wanted a totally different kind of goverment
me: right
here, they want "less government"
Jeff: the tea party wants the same government, just modified in some way that has not been articulated
me: right
so: major difference
12:03 PM
I think what's most interesting is this:
Robespierre says, "look, we are going to try to use our old ways of thinking to help us through this difficult period. But we can't do that. We need new ways of thinking."
that's why they invented a whole new calendar after the revolution
12:04 PM
they wanted a whole new way of telling time, because the Revolution marked a rupture with the old way of telling time
the same thing was attempted after Russia's revolution in 1917
but eventually, things fall back to the way they were before
Zizek has said that in order for their to be a successful revolution, we need to think up new ways to day dream, new ways to celebrate birthdays, new ways to do everything
Jeff: that strikes me as silly
although i understand what is meant
but it's like
people wanted a different government
they didn't want new ways to celebrate birthdays
me: he's saying that one necessitates the other
because a new government meant a new life
and new life means new ways of living
and new ways of living means starting new rituals
Jeff: but wasn't the french revolution successful?
me: no
Napoleon
he came along and called himself Emperor and that was that
Emperor = new king
although
there was some success insofar as the French Rev. was the birth of the bourgeoisie
the middle class arose from the ashes
[...]
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