GEORGE, JFK, JR.'S MAGAZINE
Judith Shulevitz. "George on My Mind." The New Republic. 8/15
January 1996: 21-22.
Shulevitz criticizes the magazine for its conflation of politics and popular
culture and its ultimate pointlessness. She sees the pointlessness as a
symptom of its goal, commercial success. George, we have been led
to believe, aims to show the postmodern commodification of politics. This is
not Kennedy's invention but his finding in the culture. Shulevitz argues that
politics remain distinct from entertainment/pop culture: "entertainment and
politics are fundamentally asymptotic, no matter how much they appear to
converge." (p. 22)
This is a critical issue worth looking at further in the pursuit of an
understanding of political praxis in postmodernity.
[PROGRAMME NOTE: This string of thoughts about George we find especially
amusing because we have yet to see the magazine. The issue raised by
Shulevitz, however, has interest whether or not it applies to the magazine. We
will continue to scout the racks in search of the scarce journalistic bird and
hope one day to bring it in for examination.]
22 January 1996
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