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MT 10 April 2016

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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 10 APRIL 2016 News 17 CAR LOAN With a Car Loan from Banif Bank, getting behind the wheel has never been easier. And I can sit back and enjoy the ride while Banif secures my current lifestyle. Personal Loans Plus Protection include an insurance cover taken out by the Bank in its name to protect myself and my loved ones in case of unforeseen circumstances. BELIEVE: IT'S ALL ABOUT THE JOURNEY PERSONAL LOANS PLUS PROTECTION rates from 5 % p.a. * * The loan is subject to the Bank's lending criteria. 'Personal Loans Plus Protection' incorporate an insurance cover that protects clients in case of accidental death, temporary or permanent total disablement or redundancy. Banif Bank (Malta) plc shall be the policy holder. Details relating to the policy are available on the Bank's website (banif.com.mt). A typical example is based on a loan of ¤10,000 repayable through monthly instalments of ¤126.93 over a period of 8 years at a variable interest rate of 5% p.a. Loan is subject to an administration fee of 4% on the monthly instalment. The total sum payable throughout the term of the loan is ¤12,672.96, with an APR of 6.57% p.a. Banif Bank (Malta) plc is a credit institution licensed to undertake the business of banking by the MFSA in terms of the Banking Act 1994. Registered in Malta C41030 – 203, Level 2, Rue D'Argens, Gzira, GZR 1368, Malta. lives more 'grievable' than others? and other 'outsiders' could be un- derstood through intimate psycho- logical processes that we have all experienced. Acknowledging that taking a psy- chological tack to this otherwise deeply political phenomenon, But- ler reassured audiences that there is a 'second part' to her analysis that deals exclusively with the political dimension. "To say that a life is grievable means that the prospect of its loss should be feared, and prevented at all costs," Butler said, adding that another truism is that the bulk of us would not want murder to be condoned since we wouldn't want to live in a world where we could be killed without consequence. Challenging her listeners further, Butler then said, "What would hap- pen if it were universally accepted to inflict certain acts of violence in the world?" How do we square with the possi- bility of not being able to save eve- ryone who's in danger – migrants or otherwise – and how do we de- cide which or them are 'grievable', and which are not? And why would we condone certain acts of violence while accepting others? In short, it's a true moral and psychological challenge, one that – Butler suggests – leaves us in quandaries of guilt and suppressed anger. This gives rise to moral con- fusion and dissatisfaction, which Butler suggests leads to "persecu- tory fantasises" and paranoia: we hate the Other for making us feel so guilty and inadequate, which can in turn inspire – and justify – further violence towards them. Paradoxically, however, this para- noia binds us closely to the Other: if you're so aggressively obsessed with someone, it means you're mentally tied to them in a very real way. Butler uses this as a starting point to move away from the more tra- ditional Freudian perspective on relationships – which highlight the mental power struggle between the child-like drive of the id and the su- perego, with the mediating ego in the middle – in favour of Melanie Klein's perspective. According to Klein – Butler says – the desire to make people happy requires us to put ourselves in their shoes. "This isn't fully an act of ab- negation," Butler says, "it's a vicari- ous moment during which we put the Other first." By the same token, aggression and hatred can be channeled to political ends when we become sensitive to the empathy required by it. This leads to what is perhaps the most striking point of Butler's talk, in which she urges a radical re-think of the concept of guilt. Going by the standard Freudian dictum, guilt is to be seen as something punitive. But read through Klein, guilt can be seen as an engine to safeguard "an Other indistinguishable from me". Viewing guilt as being primar- ily about safeguarding rather than punishment would, according to Butler, establish the necessary con- ditions for lives to be fully 'griev- able'. The Walk for Remembrance will start at 10:00, City Gate, Valletta on 17 April. More information: http://bit.ly/1Xnp3cv Lampedusa shipwreck survivors – April 2015 PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD Judith Butler speaking at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta last Wednesday • Photo courtesy of the European Graduate School

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