politics of displacement essays

politics of displacement essays Jean Elshtain, Chp.2 "Democracy and the Politics of Displacement" In the excerpted chapter titled "Democracy and the Politics of Displacement", Jean Elshtain discusses the concept of politics of identity'. In discussing the politics of identity', Elshtain argues there is an emerging social phenomenon, wherein society is turning the private affairs of our lives into public discourse. The Western World has become a public pool, in which the information mediums and venues of society are overflowing with confessions and apologies. We have made the private affairs of our lives, into a booming business. Society has witnessed a proliferation of self - help groups, twelve- step' programs, anger management programs, television shows broadcasting a tell all' theme and Internet chat groups designed for people to post the confession and/or apology of the day. Inherently, it has not only become socially acceptable, but socially encouraged to "air our dirty laundry." We are actively creating an Apologizing Society.' Elshtain argues that as the boundary separating the private and the public becomes increasingly hazed, a new social identity emerges. Elshtain argues that as this new social identity emerges, there arises a politics of identity.'Our social identity is no longer composed of "differentiated spheres of human activity," but rather it has become a dichotomous social relationship involving those who are victims and those who are victimizers. Moreover, it is the quality or character of being a victim' that becomes public discourse. In turn, this quality of being a victim becomes an individual's primary or dominant identity: it defines their entire being. Through the process of class discussion, it was realized, that as the quality of being a victim enters the public lime- light, there emerges a social accumulation of victims and victimizers. The social accumu ...