Slavoj Žižek - What does it mean to be a revolutionary today?

[KurtFF8]

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I think even those on this forum who are not big fans of Zizek will like this speech he gave for the Marxism 2009 conference.

[bellyscratch]

I was at this meeting and it is well worth a watch. I'm not sure how much it included (responses to questions etc?), but I'm sure people will have a lot of points to debate about. The 'ball cupping' analogy seemed to provoke a response from some feminists in the audience anyway...

[KurtFF8]

The end of the video is him addressing that analogy actual, and I think he does a pretty good job at defending it.

[Pogue]

I think Zizek is over rated by Trotskyist fan boys.

[Hit The North]

Zizek is a one-trick pony. He brings dirty jokes to social theory less effectively than Bill Hicks brought social theory to dirty jokes.

[Pogue]

Zizek is a one-trick pony. He brings dirty jokes to social theory less effectively than Bill Hicks brought social theory to dirty jokes.

bill hicks > zizek by far

[KurtFF8]

But this is such a good talk :(

[bellyscratch]

I'm not saying I agree with Zizek on everything he says, but he is an entertaining speaker. I don't think you can deny that.

[scarletghoul]

I agree with Žižek on everything he says

[rednordman]

I do think that people are a little to harsh on him. No one is 100% correct all the time. That is the mistake that the right wing falls for.

[Pogue]

I think the opposite. At Marxism people were treating him like he was the messiah. I didn't understand the hype, he's not that brilliant. He talks and acts like a rabid dog, he waves his extremeties all over the place and I find his voice mildly irritating, it sounds like he needs to swallow his saliva. Everyone think's hes a bit of a character, fair enough, he's out of the ordinary, but he didn't say anything profound, I found his talk quite boring and substanceless and I think everyone let the aura of 'celebrity' get in the way of the actual content and delivery.

[narcomprom]

I think Zizek is over rated by Trotskyist fan boys.


Zizek is a one-trick pony. He brings dirty jokes to social theory less effectively than Bill Hicks brought social theory to dirty jokes.


bill hicks > zizek by far

could you be more specific? the bawdy analogy about the futility of dissidence is not his but an actual soviet joke. or do you dislike him because you're supposed to as an anarchist?

Zizek represents the leftwing opposition to soviet marxism which is by far more vociferous in eastern europe and in germany than it is in the west due to language barriers.

They were the ones who shouted down Gorbachev's "socialism with a human face and the old guard on top" because, just as in the West, the Soviets' promising phases of progress were quick to be reverted back into fascism.

The comparisson of ordoliberalism to a futile strife for a capitalism with a human face works well, i couldnt agree more on problematic authoritarianist altitudes in the east, and I agree that the values, paraded by all world's fascists as "western", are not rooted in our native religions or cultures but are universal.

I agree that a simplified ideology seeded upon mellow minds can backfire in times of crisis.

Be specific if you don't like any of his points.

[Pogue]

could you be more specific? the bawdy analogy about the futility of dissidence is not his but an actual soviet joke. or do you dislike him because you're supposed to as an anarchist?

Zizek represents the leftwing opposition to soviet marxism which is by far more vociferous in eastern europe and in germany than it is in the west due to language barriers.

They were the ones who shouted down Gorbachev's "socialism with a human face and the old guard on top" because, just as in the West, the Soviets' promising phases of progress were quick to be reverted back into fascism.

The comparisson of ordoliberalism to a futile strife for a capitalism with a human face works well, i couldnt agree more on problematic authoritarianist altitudes in the east, and I agree that the values, paraded by all world's fascists as "western", are not rooted in our native religions or cultures but are universal.

I agree that a simplified ideology seeded upon mellow minds can backfire in times of crisis.

Be specific if you don't like any of his points.

I said quite simply I don't think he says anything profound, and he doesn't say anything in a profound way either.

[The Ungovernable Farce]

I really like Zizek, and the last time I went to Marxism he was one of my favourite speakers there. I also heard he completely pwned Callinicos, but I can't be bothered watching a 40-minute video to find out exactly how - what did they say to each other?

[KurtFF8]

They address each other's responses to questions and speeches. There's a video of Callinicos on YouTube as well as part of the same event.

[punisa]

He is a genius. Thanks for the video, totally agreed with everything he says. Especially the re-invention of communist ideals.

[punisa]

I think Zizek is over rated by Trotskyist fan boys.
I think you are over rated by your one liners

[Pogue]

I think you are over rated by your one liners

Please don't make trollish posts.

[Mindtoaster]

Please don't make trollish posts.

How was "I think Zizek is overated by trotskyist fan boys" not trollish?

You are without a doubt currently the BIGGEST troll on RevLeft.

[ls]

I think you are over rated by your one liners

His post was not trolling, this is a trolling and off-topic post though.

I also echo Pogue's sentiments btw, he is well overrated in Trotskyist circles and often his speeches are drawn out, uninteresting and dull.

[Ned Flanders]

I like Zizek more as a cultural theorist than a political one. Has anyone here seen "a perverts guide to cinema" for example? I agree that the hype around him is kind of lame, but I still think he often offers an interesting view on things.

[YKTMX]

I was at this meeting. It was by far the best and most focussed political speech I've seen him give. It was a slight shame that the joke at the end overshadowed the talk at the event itself.

[KurtFF8]

I think Zizek is over rated by Trotskyist fan boys.

I'm quite far from being a Trotskyist but I still like Zizek.

I haven't read too much of his work but I didn't think he was a Trotskyist.

[leochaos]

Hi,
does anybody knows something about Zizek's political activity-now or in the past/
I know a little bit, the usual wikipedia things,not much.
Actually I like the guy, his ideas are often interesting.Of lately I am a little tired because he is/was(I may be out of touch with time) everywhere.
The usual thing when somebody becomes too popular.
He often contradicts himself(something I do,too) and I am not sure he has a realistic political message(he poses valid questions).
If somebody can clarify his politics i would appreciate;but the less lacan I get the better.
Have you noticed that (on video at least) when he talks about politics he often has a very stiff body language-watch his interviews on slovenian tv- while when he talks about his usual things(everything+cinema) he looks pretty freaked out
a junior revolutionary(who came out with this kind of tag?Do you become a senior revolutionary by posting messages or what?Is this some sort of joke or we are indeed doing revolutionary work sitting in front of a monitor.If some comrades are into it,I would suggest that in general things change by action).There is an old interesting post about people spendind too much time on the net in Gilad Atzmon's website.Another guy who is pretty confusing to me.I may well to write a 'confused by G A ' post.
The damn thing on the net is that in the past there was a difference between talking and writing.When you wrote down something it was usually more important that just saying the same thing.Now we are basically writing/talking;not good, the computer is too fast for our brain,if we have any,
Ciao

[Rosa Lichtenstein]

BTB:


Zizek is a one-trick pony. He brings dirty jokes to social theory less effectively than Bill Hicks brought social theory to dirty jokes.

I knew we'd agree over something, someday... :)

[fabilius]

I´d agree that Bill Hicks is better, but Zizek is still entertaining.

[Janine Melnitz]

The bit at the beginning, about the mistake of investing your revolutionary hopes "somewhere else" (Russia in the 40s, Latin America today), is bizarre, because it's very obvious that the real alternative is to actually do something in your own country -- and not the one he offers, which is to "help" Latin America by being "ruthlessly critical", apparently unable himself to break out of the purely academic commentary-games played by his imaginary Russophile academic.

Anyway the balls joke was pretty good, I dunno