by Molly Ivors
Generally, I'm quite keen on Freud--not really useful in terms of clinical treatment, though fascinating in terms of cultural analysis--but the batshittiest lawprof on the internets is determined to ruin even that for me. Everyone was abuzz yesterday with her freaked-out analysis of the new Hillary Clinton campaign commercial, riffing on the Sopranos.
I don't know if it's a brilliant commercial or something horrific--I, alone among the blogosphere, gave up on the Sopranos years ago. I haven't watched the last episode, or the last ten minutes of the last episode, though I've read enough analyses of it to last a lifetime. (My favorite was from Tony Hendra, whose take on the whole series as a Bush-era phenomenon was quite interesting.) I dislike Celine Dion, and am much more interested in policy than cutesy parody, but I guess it has had its intended effect, creating chatter.
Anyway, Althouse has determined that it's actually a brilliant Freudian narrative in which Hillary, the castrating bitch, takes away Bill's vaginal onion rings and replaces them with phallic carrots. Given her position as the Miss Havisham of Wingnuttia*, Althouse immediately buys into the "it's all about his cock!" meme, which they've never given up and are desperate to mobilize against Hillary. I will never understand the right-wing obsession with Clinton's penis: I mean, he's an attractive enough fellow, and an excellent speaker, but honestly, what he gets up to in his private life is none of my affair. The disingenuous resurrection of the sex meme in regard to the Clintons reminds us of Digby's impassioned list of our grievances, starting, of course, with their 1998 obsession. Here's a clue to Ms. Althouse: referring to this public shame, which you and your friends created and are living off like some desperate attempt to keep hold of a residual rebellious coolness, is not going to work. It makes you look like a petty bitch in the mode of Maureen Dowd, which is, of course, what you aspire to be. Trying to be cutesy about it is like talking baby talk at a faculty meeting: you may think it's adorable, but most of us just shake our heads in disbelief at your cluelessness.
Oh, but of course, I forgot. It's all about the vortex, isn't it? (Click it and fall into my power!)
*UPDATE BY THERS: Hee hee: "The Miss Havisham of Wingnuttia."
