On Solidarity

I went to a very nice panel discussing Poland's solidarity movement today (goodness gracious, I love that their poster was borrowed from High Noon). George "Have You Given Any Menthols to Men on the Street Lately?" Weigel spoke, and even spoke about tradition (something Sister Margarita Aloysius told me he wouldn't countenance). And a woman from the New School spoke on performative democracy. I really liked this--she draws on J.L. Austin, Arendt and Bahktin to discuss ways in which the Polish worked to change their own situation (neither relying on assistance from outside forces, nor expecting problems to automatically correct themselves). She particularly mentioned the influence of literature and other forms of public speech. Additionally, she problematized the central place given to the symbolism of the fall of the Berlin Wall, arguing that it wasn't actually local.