vimothy
yurp
He still reckons we should give it another shot, though (Zizek, I mean, in the Q&A). Third time lucky, I guess?
Also, this is spray-painted (with a stencil!) on the underside of a bridge over the Regent's Canal in Hackney:
BEWARE
GEORGE GALLOWAY
IS THE NEXT HITLER
Ha
I'm thinking of like a constructivist (Z boy) vs ecological (me) approach to history -- if those terms have any meaning in this sense -- where, you know, history doesn't just happen, but works according to a formula that you can not only understand, but also harness...
Mr. Tea
Let's Talk About Ceps
Mr. Tea
Let's Talk About Ceps
I read a slightly far-fetched but very interesting piece in a paper a few years ago that speculated that bin Laden and co. may have been inspired by science fiction novels. It pointed out that 'al Qaeda' is, after all, Arabic for 'the base', or 'the foundation', and drew parallels between modern-day jihadism and the millennial struggle and warrior cult of the Fremen in Dune.
It was in al-Guardian though, so you probably missed it.
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fokse vektaire xeven
Arab Nazi
i'm taking this back so i can call you a bunch of freaking nerds
Bettysnake
twisted pony ******
Thats the sickest thing I've ever heard.
D
droid
Guest
I read a slightly far-fetched but very interesting piece in a paper a few years ago that speculated that bin Laden and co. may have been inspired by science fiction novels. It pointed out that 'al Qaeda' is, after all, Arabic for 'the base', or 'the foundation', and drew parallels between modern-day jihadism and the millennial struggle and warrior cult of the Fremen in Dune.
It was in al-Guardian though, so you probably missed it.
And of course Bin Laden wrote science fiction. OK stuff as well.
Mr. Tea
Let's Talk About Ceps
No wai! Do you know if it's available on the internet somewhere? I'd be interested in having a look at that.
Also, Mrs. Zizek appears to be about 12.
Edit: ha, the Spanish mag that photo is taken from has called him 'Slavov'.
Edit edit: here's the Guardian piece I was talking about: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2002/aug/24/alqaida.sciencefictionfantasyandhorror
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D
droid
Guest
Dunno. John Eden sent me a pamphlet version of one of his stories.
You could probably pick it up somewhere though. Londonistan is swarming with extremist mosques and booksellers isnt it?
he really nails the scarface look right down to the eye bags and sweaty hairwell, have you seen his wife?
that guardian q&a reads like classic woody allen...
humour might not be the only thing they have in common - how old is his missus?
fokse vektaire xeven
Arab Nazi
fuck the haters. Voj ain't rampin
fokse vektaire xeven
Arab Nazi
this is better than Hello. I heard he couldn't get it up after all the coke. he just wanted to sit there and critique post capitalist culture all bloody night
Alfons
Way of the future
this thread needs to get back on topic (altho it is still entertaining)
Has anyone heard/read Zizeks theory of the four things that the current capitalistic system can not deal with? Speaking from memory from a lecture in march but it was definitely ecology (i.e. how global warming can only be answered by massive stalinist measures from top down), copyright and intellectual property in the p2p age, the mobilasation of the worlds large number of poor peolpe in its slums and ghettos (Chaves and so on...) and now I cant for the life of me remember the fourth thing but it was there...
Like many aspects of his lecture it seemed very convincing when he was talking about it but less so when you thought about it afterwards.
Has anyone heard/read Zizeks theory of the four things that the current capitalistic system can not deal with? Speaking from memory from a lecture in march but it was definitely ecology (i.e. how global warming can only be answered by massive stalinist measures from top down), copyright and intellectual property in the p2p age, the mobilasation of the worlds large number of poor peolpe in its slums and ghettos (Chaves and so on...) and now I cant for the life of me remember the fourth thing but it was there...
Like many aspects of his lecture it seemed very convincing when he was talking about it but less so when you thought about it afterwards.
"this thread needs to get back on topic (altho it is still entertaining)"
Okay, let me try, with a rather polemical paragraph.
Zizek is as a new kind of philosopher - a man who has perfected a personal style halfway between language and cathode ray. He knows, when it comes down to it, nothing (a certain amount of insight into Lacan besides) but has an opinion on everything. In this respect, the status he enjoys amongst certain bloggers is not coincidental. At the same time, Zizek is not entirely a figure of the new media (though pehaps blogs aren't either): his standing mode of address - the sweeping, empty, pronouncement, tossed off periodically - is that of the opinion journalist, which is perhaps why other opinion journalists, like Johann Hari, despise him: its a crowded market.
Moreover, I think that Zizek considered sociologically - as himself a phenomenon - is much more interesting then the content of anything he actually says. Though what he says is perhaps a factor of his own peculiar sociological status: when one considers it, Zizek's philosophy is precisely constructed to lend figures like himself a great deal of status. Ideology is everywhere, and everything is ideology - and hence you need a contrarian to get people thinking. Capitalism is triumphant, and attempts to narcotivize - thus you need Zizek, making blood-curdling statements, which, although strangely attractive to the media, nevertheless can be understood as "the true leftist position."
Finally, Zizek is a figure of the identity politics which he himself affects to despise. Want to establish an identity as "a leftist"? Follow Zizek - he'll let you know what to think, and give you your talking points.
Okay, let me try, with a rather polemical paragraph.
Zizek is as a new kind of philosopher - a man who has perfected a personal style halfway between language and cathode ray. He knows, when it comes down to it, nothing (a certain amount of insight into Lacan besides) but has an opinion on everything. In this respect, the status he enjoys amongst certain bloggers is not coincidental. At the same time, Zizek is not entirely a figure of the new media (though pehaps blogs aren't either): his standing mode of address - the sweeping, empty, pronouncement, tossed off periodically - is that of the opinion journalist, which is perhaps why other opinion journalists, like Johann Hari, despise him: its a crowded market.
Moreover, I think that Zizek considered sociologically - as himself a phenomenon - is much more interesting then the content of anything he actually says. Though what he says is perhaps a factor of his own peculiar sociological status: when one considers it, Zizek's philosophy is precisely constructed to lend figures like himself a great deal of status. Ideology is everywhere, and everything is ideology - and hence you need a contrarian to get people thinking. Capitalism is triumphant, and attempts to narcotivize - thus you need Zizek, making blood-curdling statements, which, although strangely attractive to the media, nevertheless can be understood as "the true leftist position."
Finally, Zizek is a figure of the identity politics which he himself affects to despise. Want to establish an identity as "a leftist"? Follow Zizek - he'll let you know what to think, and give you your talking points.
nomadthethird
more issues than Time mag
Actually, if anything, Zizek knows full well that he's pissing in the wind. Better than anybody.
And minor academic celebrity status notwithstanding, he's far from the "voice of the left", anywhere. Any and all stretches of the imagination also notwithstanding.
And minor academic celebrity status notwithstanding, he's far from the "voice of the left", anywhere. Any and all stretches of the imagination also notwithstanding.