▁and ▁post - struct ural ists ▁like ▁Jean ▁Baud r ill ard ▁and ▁Jacques ▁Der r ida , ▁which ▁argued ▁the ▁sim ulated ▁and ▁de ferred ▁nature ▁of ▁the ▁sign ▁and ▁text , ▁was ▁crit ically ▁anal ys ed ▁as , ▁in ▁fact , ▁a ▁description ▁of ▁a ▁highly ▁abstract ed ▁media ▁society , ▁f als ely ▁general ised ▁and ▁trans histor ic ised . ▁ ▁These ▁and ▁other ▁deb ates ▁increasing ly ▁put ▁the ▁Arena ▁edit ors ▁in ▁a ▁critical ▁relationship ▁to ▁what ▁remained ▁of ▁the ▁Left , ▁which ▁had ▁enthus iast ically ▁emb rac ed ▁the ▁celebr ation ▁of ▁difference ▁and ▁hy brid ity ▁as ▁the ▁post - struct ural ist ▁revolution ▁swe pt ▁English - spe aking ▁human ities ▁depart ments ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 8 0 s . ▁Par ado x ically , ▁this ▁also ▁led ▁to ▁some ▁on ▁the ▁Left ▁failing ▁to ▁grasp ▁Arena ’ s ▁stand point , ▁representing ▁it , ▁too , ▁as ▁an ▁expression ▁of ▁the ▁post - struct ural ist ▁wave . ▁ ▁In cre asing ly , ▁Arena ’ s ▁arguments ▁added ▁up ▁to ▁a ▁critique ▁that ▁was ▁deep - c ult ural ▁and / or ▁ont ological . ▁As ▁the ▁USS R ▁col lapsed ▁and ▁capital ism ▁was ▁fully ▁global ised , ▁and ▁as ▁the ▁environmental ▁problem ▁became ▁comp elling , ▁it ▁was ▁becoming ▁clear ▁that ▁a ▁global ▁system ▁had ▁developed ▁to ▁such ▁a ▁degree ▁that ▁its ▁basic ▁contradiction ▁was ▁of ▁the ▁possibility ▁of ▁meaning ful ▁life ▁itself . ▁▁ ▁Arena