Derrida

I thought the video on Derrida was very interesting. What he was saying seemed kind of backwards at first but it actually did make sense. He said that when he was awake, he was more unconscious than when he was asleep. His mind was so busy with writing and expressing himself that he had no time to think about the consequences or effects of what he was writing. When he was about to go to sleep, and his mind wasn't busy, he was thinking about the effects of his writing. I think his fears are legitimate and it's probably what a lot of authors think about when they criticize other people's work or ideas.
I have personally never experienced anxiety about the power of what I write. I have experienced anxiety while writing, but never about the power. The reason for this is probably because the things I write aren't really that powerful. I don't think I have anything to be anxious about in the paper I just wrote about OCD for psychology. It's not what I would call powerful and I'm not really worried about how it affects other people since the only person who will read it is my psych teacher.
I think there are a number of things that could motivate such a fear. For example, lets pretend Derrida was an American citizen in the 1960's. Maybe he decided to write an article criticizing the American government and the way they do things. He would instantly be considered a communist and probably shunned by most of America. Sometimes when a majority is criticized or spoken out against, it can have bad consequences for the person speaking out.
I think Derrida does have respect for the power of the written word. He knows that certain things he writes may have the power to upset or even infuriate people. The battle with his subconscious shows his awareness of this.