Court philosopher to The Huffington Post Bernard-Henri Levy was exposed as a fraud on French television yesterday after quoting a fictional philosopher in defense of his book on Immanuel Kant. According to The Times Levy had not checked his sources before writing the book and was unaware that Jean-Baptiste Botul (founder of the, heh, botulism school of criticism) was a fictional character and an elaborate literary joke, something he would have discovered if he'd spent two seconds looking him up on wikipedia. The Times has the whole story here....
I've been annoyed with Bernard-Henri Levy for quite a few years now. I studied philosophy in the Anglo-American tradition which is short on rhetorical flourishes and heavy on sourcing, formal logic and analysis. The French "philosophical" schools of the 1960's onwards with their incomprehensible Marxist/Hegelian/Habermasian dialectic are to my mind largely worthless verbiage. Bernard-Henri Levy is not the most ridiculous of the philosophes but he is the most famous. Charlie Rose has a man crush on him and he regularly pontificates on The Huffington Post about things he knows very little about. The only book of his I've managed to read all the way through was American Vertigo, a sociological examination of US life and manners. I hated it and was quite pleased when Garrison Keillor did a controlled demolition job in The New York Times. I don't like to see a man, any man, kicked when he's down but Bernard-Henri Levy's weasel worded defence of Roman Polanski in various media was something of a last straw for me. No Bernard, Polanski wasn't guilty of "sexual misconduct" or the victim of a "Puritan witch-hunt" he raped a 13 year old and it probably wasnt the first or the last time either.
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If you want to read a real philosopher, try a different Bernard, the late Bernard Williams whose short essay Which Slopes Are Slippery? is more interesting than anything Bernard-Henri Levy has ever written. And if you're looking for some good, solid philosophy try this hippy dude at Yale who also talks a little about my boy Bernie Williams near the end.
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On a slightly related subject here's a nice recent article by the BBC's Paris reporter wondering why Parisians are so bloody rude.
37 comments:
I don't think American Vertigo was particularly well-received here. People bought it because of the controversy around it. I can't actually bring to mind anyone who has done the whole of America in one book well, though I must admit that I haven't read Toqueville.
I've no reason to defend BHL, but his getting caught out by a prank would not be the last straw for me.
I might watch that Yale professor, although to be honest, his casual style of sitting on his podium annoys the hell out of me.
I always expect Parisians to be rude based on anecdote, but in reality I've rarely found it to be the case. That article sounded a little like a mirror image of BHL in miniature.
One of my favorite memories of Paris was when I was staying in a hotel and having some trouble with a key. I apologetically went to the desk and the woman behind it came back with me and opened the door with no problem. Did she glare at me in triumph? No. She smiled and said, "It knows the touch of my hand."
I must admit that I've known a few bombastic French types in Santac Cruz, though. It's as if they feel they've been set the task of bringing Santa Cruz in line with their exacting French standards. It drives them bonkers.
Seana
No the last straw was the cowardly defence of Polanski where what Polanski actually did was obscured by lies and obfuscation.
This was merely funny and confirmed everything I always suspected.
I have seen Parisian rudeness many many times, although seldom by immigrants like in the BBC man's case. I think the Parisians have never forgiven the Americans for liberating them from the Nazis which is why they feel the need to punish them when they visit.
Seana
You have to close your eyes to listen to the hippy. He is very annoying but he talks sense.
I agree with you about the Polanski defense being the last straw, but as you've pointed out before, many, many people have apparently fallen into that trap. Not that that's an excuse.
I am actually happy to know that Yale makes their lectures available in this way. They guy reminds me of too many Santa Cruz TAs in style, is all. It doesn't mean he's not worth listening to. But with my regained video access, it's hard not to watch.
On my first trip to France, which was actually my first trip to a non-English speaking country, we were put up for a week in Paris by a friend of my friend's father and her elderly mother. She insisted we stay with her because my friend's father had been an American GI and this French family had entertained him and his friends during some point in the war which I'm afraid is unclear to me. I do know that this had to be a bit hush hush, as some of the neighbors were not in favor. Anyway, this must have been about forty years later, the father was dead, but she was still grateful.
But of course there is the other side. I know a story, told by an eyewitness, of a Parisian waiter kicking a woman out of a restaurant and then coming out in the street to slap her face. Of course, the woman was drunk and the very picture of Ugly Americanism, but that is taking a grudge too far. Although it was funny the way my friend told it.
Seana
Funnily enough non Parisian French people are entirely different. Brave, good humoured, kind, fond of children...
Of course there's this old joke:
Q: How do you get a Parisian waiter's attention?
A: Start ordering in German.
Did you read Suite Francaise by Nemirovsky? It is not very kind about the Parisians, I recall. Although the second book which takes place in the country isn't all that generous towards the small town people either. But I took the story to be much more universal than specific.
We stayed in the southwest of France for awhile last time I was there and it was great. People were very kind though not too many knew English but they weren't snobby towards us or our mangled French. (Mine is practically nonexistent.) It was kind of surprising, since the English seemed to be buying up vast swathes of the countryside out from under them, that they weren't more resentful.
Adrian,
I think it's time you told this guy you were sick of the high hat.
Adrian,
Thanks for the review by Garrison Keillor. Most think of him in his "Old Scout" persona and don't realize he carries a very knife.
I'm glad his defence of Polanski angered you. I wonder how many of Polanski's apologists would offer up their daughters to be drugged and defiled.
Altogether a bad week for smug academics, what with the Daily Mail huffing and puffing about Niall Ferguson's latest, and marriage-ending, affair.
Seana
I've had many pleasant times with French country folks, particularly in the South on different occasions in Marseille, Nice and Perpignan. They're very like the Irish, which I mean, er, as a compliment.
Brian
I fear his hat is still high. He is not a straight shooter or a square G.
John H
I wouldnt fuck with him. My cuz Andrew was on his radio show however and said he was very nice.
DP
Didnt know about Niall Ferguson, however I do know about his fellow upright Scottish Presbyterian pal Andrew Marr. I'm not going to say any more than that.
Yes, the Irish and the Southwestern French seem a good comparison.
Actually, Alan Glynn has a good running joke in Winterland about how to get a cabbie to stop talking without giving offense. I don't think the main character actually found a workable solution.
As tourists, though, we were charmed by them.
He has dumped his wife for the Somalian/Dutch feminist Ayaan Hirsi Ali. And that means he will lose much of the fortune that he loves almost as much as himself.
DP
Well that takes some bottle at least. I'd be nervous to ride in the same taxi as her.
Me too. Although I do admire her courage.
She certainly has that
Interesting post. My petty side loves it when an arrogant windbag gets his comeuppance.
I’ve always been treated pretty good in Paris with one exception. A waiter approached me while I was eating and said, “Madam… you would enjoy your meal so much more if you ate slower.” This while a fork full was poised in front of my open mouth. He returned to a cluster of waiters who were all watching me. Very embarrassing. What can I say, the food was great. But, being mealy-mouthed me, I started counting my chews after each bite (and the waiters were watching to make sure).
I have, however, encountered plenty of rude French people outside of France. For instance, I walked up to a French man visiting our company in Japan and said, “Welcome to Japan.” His reply was a rampage: “YOU AMERICANS! You go places and don’t respect that country’s customs and don’t learn the language and treat the people rude,” yada yada yada. I said, “Yeah, well, welcome to Japan, anyway,” and walked away. He then walked over and kissed one of the Japanese women on the cheek. Guess what – that’s about as rude and uncomprehending of the Japanese culture as you can get. You bow, you don’t touch. The poor Japanese woman looked like she was going to commit sepeku right there at her desk.
About the Polanski defence, and I know we've covered this ground before, but your rebuttal sounds a bit like Republicans saying, "Saddam was a dictator and a mass murderer; you must be a supporter of dictators and mass murderers if you believe we were wrong to overthrow him." And then the entire debate becomes about whether or not Saddam was a dictator, which nobody actually disputes.
I share your Anglo-empiricist distrust of the Frog philosophers, though, as also your admiration for Bernard Williams.
Girish:
I’m not so sure I understand your analogy about Saddam. I don’t think Adrian is condemning everyone who defends Polanski, but I think he’s just saying BHL’s defense of Polanski was the last straw for him, last straw after a number of obnoxious “straws.” But maybe I’m just not following you. And I’m sure Adrian can speak for himself and doesn’t need me to do it for him.
Holden
Another reason I like eating out outside of Paris is that the waiter in country places usually doesnt exist. You are served by the patron.
Girish is an old pal. He and I go back. Way back to Oxford in 1992. But yeah thats what I meant.
Girish
I trust Martin Amis over this. He hung out with Polanski and saw the pathology of the man. I really mean it when I say I dont think "this was the first or the last time". I suspect a lot of young women have been paid off before now.
Its interesting that no one talks about Angelica Houston's role in the Polanski affair, basically turning a blind eye and encouraging the whole thing and then slandering the girl. At least BHL didn't call her a "little bitch". At least not in print.
Adrian, I thought you were condemning everyone who defended Polanski.
The best I can say about any of them is that some of them are probably naive.
It isn't about Polanski's artistic work--I thought The Pianist was excellent, and yes I know he wouldn't have been able to make it if he hadn't fled the country. It's the way behavior that has actually harmed somebody is given a pass because of the perpetrator's position in society and apparently his status as an artist.
Seana
Girish's position which I think he articulated over on his blog (or possibly Time Out) was more about the moral panic surrounding the Polanski affair.
Its true what you say of course. Charlie Sheen straddles a woman, puts a knife to her throat, repeatedly threatens to kill her and I'll bet he gets probation or some complicated but ultimately non custodial sentence.
Right, I don't think that Polanski's supporters would easily go to bat for someone with an identical rap sheet if he was someone they didn't know. That said, they made the wrong call in this case, and they did deserve to be called on it.
Charlie Sheen. What a piece of work. And to think his father was such a beloved president...
Polanski deserves whatever he gets but I'm not happy about a prosecutor spending that kind of money and time on such an old case. It was 30 years or so ago and the victim by all accounts wants to move on. If he was in the country fine, but but spending the resources to extradite somebody from Europe for a 30 year old crime leaves a lot of more recent local victims without meaningful recourse. If you want to rape 13 year old girls just make sure you aren't famous cause nobody will spend the time and money to hunt you down if they don't catch you fast.
Hey! I'm kinda sorry for "defending" Polanski but I get really disgusted with prosecutors making grandstand plays to make a name for themselves. There are much more important things for these people to take care of right here every day.
From what I know about BHL I don't see why he needed a last strike. Pompous, arrogant and without substance he should simply be dragging his bat back to the dugout.
May I quit now?
John H
No, your point is a good one. And I'm not going to disagree with it.
It seems that if you escape the jurisdiction no one is going to come and get you unless its for murder.
Or if your name is Dogg the Bounty Hunter.
Actually, I happen to know that homicide detectives do hunt down and seek conviction in exactly Polanski's kind of case, whatever the status of the offender. And it's true that sometimes the victim would rather not have to face it all again. It's a new ordeal, and the person can end up feeling revictimized by the very system that is trying to help her--or him.
But the problem is that this kind of criminal behavior is likely to be a repeat offense, and the 30 year old case might be the only one you can prove, or have a way of prosecuting.
The fact that Polanski had the resources to flee the country meant that resources had to be spent to catch him. I don't think having the money to get away should somehow magically put anyone out of reach of the law.
Courtroom lawyers do grandstand, and frankly they do seem a pretty appalling bunch, taken as a whole, but it seems that getting their egos involved is what makes them identify with a case enough to fight for someone so tenaciously.
I'm with Seana on this one. I'm glad they're going after Polanski. If they do manage to get him behind bars, it'll be sending a message that we rarely get anymore: that the rich and famous are punished for their crimes as well.
I think it's important for a society to believe that.
Seana, Brian
But will we get him? To be honest I'm skeptical. He's under house arrest at his chateau on the French border. He skis, there's a nearby ski run right into France...
As they say in show biz, break a leg, Polanski.
One of the results of Ireland's regrettably brief emergence as an economic superpower was that we got a lot of French people coming to work here, many of them in what would be regarded as lowly retail positions, ie. behind cash registers. Almost without exception they were intelligent, dignified, friendly and good-mannered. Qualities rather rare in Irish retail staff. For the most part, dealing with them made me slightly embarrassed to be Irish.
Buff
I do take your point. I have a soft spot for the French, but Ireland's youf are alright when they go abroad too. There are dozens of micks working in retail in my local manor St Kilda and they couldnt be more charming. Maybe going abroad makes them nervous about acting up.
Now who is surprised that a French 'philospher' is revealed to be a fraud. We know that Parisians are phonies (in the Holden Caulfield sense). They like being phonies. But they play the part well...which is the Parisian thing. Style matters above all. Thats the thing that keeps me coming back to Travis McGee. He sees the space beyond the bonhomie and the rolling boat parties with the rollicking and willing lovely lasses and faces it dead on. He doesn't need Sartre. He is the existential man.
From Bright Wind from Mountain
Bright Wind
I could happily junk Sartre but NOT Camus. I like his novels, his essays and above all his prose. And although he was cool he wasnt a poseur.
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