Slavoj Zizek on Newsnight

[ed miliband]

http://bbc.co.uk/i/t0rzg/?t=30m14s

He's a bit like Chomsky or David Harvey in that he has interesting things to say, but when he is asked 'What Is To Be Done?' he seems to fall flat on his face. He has interesting things to say, particularly about liberalism, but when it comes to it he ultimately seems to be a very radical liberal himself.

[Admiral Swagmeister G-Funk]

I wouldn't say that he was a radical liberal, but its hard to lay down a suggestion for what should be done in the small amount of time that he had.

[scarletghoul]

LOL at the interviewer - "capitalism works so well in such countries as Pinochet's Chile, Fascist Italy and Communist China" he just preemptively makes Zizek's point about capitalism working better under more oppressive regimes.

Seriously why do the BBC do this whenever they interview a communist, they just go on about how communism doesnt work and capitalism does.. whats the point in having a philosopher or whatever on the show when you're just gonna engage in stupid high-school-level stuff like this

[Sugar Hill Kevis]

People around here throw the term 'liberal' around far too, well, liberally.

[ed miliband]

Have you read a Zizek book? 'Liberal' probably appears 10x more than any other word.

[ed miliband]

LOL at the interviewer - "capitalism works so well in such countries as Pinochet's Chile, Fascist Italy and Communist China" he just preemptively makes Zizek's point about capitalism working better under more oppressive regimes.

Seriously why do the BBC do this whenever they interview a communist, they just go on about how communism doesnt work and capitalism does.. whats the point in having a philosopher or whatever on the show when you're just gonna engage in stupid high-school-level stuff like this


Apparently he's going to be on the BBC show that's on after Question Time with Michael Portillo and Diane Abbott tonight.


Let's see how they treat him.

[scarletghoul]

Apparently he's going to be on the BBC show that's on after Question Time with Michael Portillo and Diane Abbott tonight.


Let's see how they treat him.
Really ?? That should be cool, theyre a little more chill than the newsnight nob (i forget his name, he's just a uncharismatic wannabe-paxman)

[ed miliband]

I hope it's true.

I reckon Abbott would get pretty pissed off with Zizek's criticism of liberal tolerance if they ask him questions along those lines.

[Buffalo Souljah]

fyi, If you're outside of Britain, you have to use a British proxy to access the BBC's playing device.

[Starport]

Ha, he is about as much a Marxist as Paul Mason, the program's senior finance correspondent (Ex Workers Power Group) Britain. ha, ha, ha.

[BAM]

Ha, he is about as much a Marxist as Paul Mason, the program's senior finance correspondent (Ex Workers Power Group) Britain. ha, ha, ha.

Have you read Mason's books? They're both not too bad. Better than Zzzzzzizek any day

[ed miliband]

Have you read Mason's books? They're both not too bad. Better than Zzzzzzizek any day

Live Working or Die Fighting is a good read, I haven't read the other one.

He's knowledgeable, which is more than you can say for many people who work for the beeb.

[BAM]

Live Working or Die Fighting is a good read, I haven't read the other one.

He's knowledgeable, which is more than you can say for many people who work for the beeb.

Yeah, definitely. I've seen some of his public talks where he lets rip more than he does on the telly. The book on the financial crash is good, a good summary for beginners, though from what I remember he ends up siding with Minsky as opposed to Marx (though that's not necessarily a bad thing as Minsky was himself hugely influenced by Marx). There's a good discussion of the theories of Russian Marxist economist Nikolai Kondratiev too. Worth reading.

[Starport]

Have you read Mason's books? They're both not too bad. Better than Zzzzzzizek any day

Mason is a house 'Marxist', bought-and-paid-for.

[BAM]

Mason is a house 'Marxist', bought-and-paid-for.

Quite.

[Angry Young Man]

Really ?? That should be cool, theyre a little more chill than the newsnight nob (i forget his name, he's just a uncharismatic wannabe-paxman)

Yea Gavin Essler is shit. I don't think he wants to be Paxman though. Even he knows he doesn't have that kind of dynamism.

As for the interview, a bit disappointed. Too short, no depth reached. And the interview was about himself as a personality. Why can't they have him on a debate? He's a philosopher ffs, and on the same night, they have Toad of Toad Hall representing eco-scepticism: why are eco-sceptics given more precedence than philosophers?

[Angry Young Man]

Oh, what I forgot to say is that This Week is fucking awful. They have C-list personalities representing different sides in an argument. With ridiculous introductions before they set them loose