zizek and ramadan on egypt
After a couple of weeks during which Joe Biden claims that Mubarak is not a dictator, an NPR commentator says that Arabs have an innate preference for dictatorship, and Tony Blair declares essentially that “We Are All Mubarak,” I found this refreshing. The main point: no outcome—whether it be the mythic Western-style liberal democracy, the feared Islamic theocracy, or something altogether different—is predestined in Egypt. Oh, and I think Zizek means to say Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, not Tom and Jerry, around the 20 minute mark.
“we are all mubarak” — I like that.
teppo
February 7, 2011 at 4:43 am
Zizek is the Glenn Beck of the radical left. He seems to be always having some sort of dramatic nervous breakdown about colonialism or whatnot.
Anon
February 7, 2011 at 8:12 am
I actually enjoy watching Zizek, extremely engaging/entertaining (though I don’t find myself agreeing with him too often, if ever).
teppo
February 7, 2011 at 5:32 pm
He’s a great contrarian. (It’s unfashionable to be a Marxist, so I’m going to be an unreconstructed, unrepentant Marxist). I imagine he disagrees with himself at times!
But I don’t agree with the ‘Beck of the left’ characterization. He’s nowhere near as sanctimonious and hasn’t made a career by fanning the flames of hatred and resentment like Beck has.
shehzadnadeem
February 7, 2011 at 6:47 pm
I think it’s a testament to the idiocy of the (Western) conversation about Egypt that two smart people with such banal observations must be trotted out and then identified as operating on the fringes of something.
Jenn Lena
February 8, 2011 at 12:39 am
I’m curious about people’s opinion of Zizek. I don’t think we’ve talked about him around here before. Perhaps for good reason. He seems to be getting lots and lots of attention, a cult-like figure. That’s an outside-outside observation — only seen/run into a few of his talks, he’s fun to watch. Though I did not get anything social theoretical out of his stuff — well, that’s just a casual observation and a quick look at a paragraph or two — but maybe I’m missing something. Anyone (whether you agree with him or not): is there a coherent theory and perspective there?
teppo
February 8, 2011 at 1:32 am
You rock, Jenn Lena!
Thomas
February 8, 2011 at 12:17 pm
Teppo- I believe Zizek was entertaining for a while, now he’s boring and is little more than a caricature of himself. Perhaps that’s because for me, the novelty wore off. He is something of an industry nowadays, he knows his formula and he is more than prepared to play up to it. He must be making a lot of money, to say the least.
In terms of ‘coherent’ social theory- well unless you find Hegel and Lacan coherent then the answer is no. IMO, his commitment to Lacan alone precludes him from being taken seriously as a social theorist.
Jon
February 8, 2011 at 1:46 pm
[...] zizek and ramadan on egypt « orgtheory.net "I think it’s a testament to the idiocy of the (Western) conversation about Egypt that two smart people with such banal observations must be trotted out and then identified as operating on the fringes of something." [...]
links for 2011-02-08 « Personal Link Sampler
February 8, 2011 at 4:05 pm
Come now. Let us not begrudge Zizek his success. He’s a bit of a one-trick pony: the counter-intuitive. Asked about virtual reality, he will want to talk about the reality of the virtual. He basically reverses the terms of everything. But what I like is that he’s playful with metaphors (“chocolate laxative”) and he’s not afraid to take silly things seriously and vice versa. Given the ponderousness of much theory nowadays it’s not surprising that he enjoys a wide audience, whatever his faults.
shehzadnadeem
February 8, 2011 at 11:36 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Megan Johnston and Norton Sociology, abulafia89. abulafia89 said: zizek and ramadan on egypt http://bit.ly/dPEtez agitatul cu barba e idolul stingistilor care poarta conversi [...]
Tweets that mention zizek and ramadan on egypt « orgtheory.net -- Topsy.com
February 10, 2011 at 2:26 am
All these comments seem to be done without proper readings of what Zizek writes.
kavisha
March 11, 2011 at 6:18 am