“Why can’t I be like this?”

Abstract

At a time when the erasure of differences predominates and segregation is the effect, particularities of jouissance are taken as deviations to be eliminated. It is no coincidence that, in the era of the generalized child, we are witnessing various forms of violence against children. Enforcing their position as subjects is precisely what increases the potential for violence against them. Social events and reports in the clinic give us news about this and make us question the role of the psychoanalyst. What can an analyst do in the face of the unprecedented subversion responsible for erasing singularities, which also affects childhoods? This is the question addressed in this text, taking as a starting point the discussion of what a child is for psychoanalysis and its clinical and political consequences.