Slavoj Žižek on toilets and ideology

[PapaWilk]

This video answers the most intractable philosophical question of all: who gives a shit?

[Antilogocentric]

However, this would have again overlooked historical forces determining consumption practices, shaping ideologies, and handing over identities—for instance, the toilet landscape of postcolonial societies has significantly been transformed by colonial modernities and modern colonialities.

Since Žižek has been objectified as an object of intellectual desire by contemporary capitalism, I am forced to discover wisdom even in this piece! Therefore, my analysis is wrong!

[Antilogocentric]

A more relevant, but still hopeless, example would have been the analysis of various slogans, images, poetry, and so on, within the public toilets—that is an analysis of ‘toilet art.’ Such an analysis could help us comprehend the day to day workings of ideologies even in the most neglected parts of our existence, and how sex, politics, and ideology permeate toilet art.

[Antilogocentric]

Contrarily, what his example signifies more concretely is, I believe, the immense diversity produced in modern capitalism’s ultra-consumptive societies. Therefore, as soon as you flush your toilets, you are not in the middle of ideology, but in the middle of capitalism.

[Antilogocentric]

I don’t believe that there is an underlying or immediate link between the initial propositions (difference of toilets) and the conclusion (reflects the difference in ideology), as Žižek attempts to show. To say that this is so is tantamount to saying that the fact that German women wear bra, tribal Mongol women wear vests, and Australian aboriginal women go topless, entails that German women are reserved, Mongol free, and aboriginal pervert.

[WeToldYouSo1]

And the Japanese toilets are full-automatical, heated, make bird's voice, clean your hole, hot and cold, and flush timely. Farting triggers a honk.

And the Chinese toilets have no seats. One squats and shits straight into the abysmal pipe, no flushing required. No paper is provided.

[jasnovlatka]

Nikomur svoj drek ne smrdi. :D :D 

[bodner1]

erica jong first touches upon the subject in her 73´ novel fear of flying

[barakobama]

It really is easy to spew that when you are not an American!

[Trillios]

@barakobama its easy to say a song is great as long as you like it.

[metabalcanico]

Shitting outdoors is the most enlightening experience one can have..You have to deal with "it"...

[franzpolak]

0:58 "i had a look at some books on the topic... "

[TheRacistsMustDie]

I cannot think of any philosopher besides Žižek who would talk about toilets (and fisting etc.)

[LukeGeoDude]

@TheRacistsMustDie Montaigne uses similar down-to-earth metaphors.

[TheRacistsMustDie]

@LukeGeoDude Aaight, I'm afraid I'll have to check him out then, thanks man.

[UnitedWeDivide]

I like the soundtrack.

[parser9]

@UnitedWeDivide i think it's from the blade runner soundtrack.

[JohnPW22]

lol!

[bozaybozaybozay]

The new revolutionaries will get what they want affected legally and peacefully. Law is the order of the day and it has been for so long!

[bozaybozaybozay]

The new revolutionaries will get what they want affected legally and peacefully. Law is the other of the day.

[ReX342]

Is there ANYBODY here who truly believes it's not best to look at your feces IF you want to, then flush them with water?

I personally am inclined to believe for ecological reasons, maybe we should just use saw dust. But perhaps for hygienic reasons and the sheer weight of having to move it aren't rational. This psycho-analyst would attack me on the grounds of being an ecologist, whereas I don't see it as an opiate. I'm still willing to critize other things as well. I dare say: He's talking shit.

[FRTothus]

Fascinating shit.

[G3NKER]

hahahahahah didnt know trebek meant "shit" in slovenian

[veverica24]

@G3NKER if you are really interested, "iztrebek" is a formal way of putting it (= excrement), the colloquial word is "drek" = shit :) "trebek" doesnt exist ..

I love this clip, Žižek is a mad genius!! :)

[1Klemzy]

@G3NKER its actually iztrebek ;) but thats more like poop in english. if someone asks you just say drek ;) so iztrebek = poop and drek = shit

[symPARAbol]

It's from the interactive artwork "Troubles with Sex, Theory & History" from Marina Grzinic and Aina Smid in collaboration with Steffen Ruyl Cramer. Thanks 4 uploading it!

S.R.C.

[WSWarthog]

I'm not sure I get it. I use the toilet that comes with the place I rent, and I rent where I can afford to live because I am skint. What's the underlying ideology there?

[jradetzky]

@WSWarthog the ideology of the designers

[Tarvoc]

Zizek may appear funny, but he definitely has a point here. For example, interestingly enough, in the last two decades, we Germans began using more and more often the anglo-american toilet model, which corresponds with the gradual shift from our original "Rhineland" model of social-liberal capitalism to more anglo-american influenced neoliberal / radical capitalistic politics.

[seanjohnam]

Reminds me of Barthes RIP...

[jonathanwong]

lol, I love the part where he criticised Lyotard and postmodernists alike, you're in the middle of ideology when you're flushing the toilet

[samakaab1]

There is plenty more befitting examples to illustrate his point about ideology but I guess he used the toilet example just to capture our attention. He is wrong to simplify ideology to this level, Does he expect a world where people's shitting methods and haircut styles are uniform. I'm yet to read his stuff but I hope he doesn't Bullshitt like this very often.

[alliant]

@samakaab1

to me he was simply showing that ideology shows up at the randomest places of our life, and we're absolutely oblivious to it.

[auxili160]

@samakaab1 ideology is part of the everyday, this is the point. It is not exclusive in any way to politics or media as it commonly drifted

[JVbin]

If you've just started watching this, jump to 1:57, pause it & react to it without knowing the context in which he said it.

"hanging in the clitoris etc. I am always fascinated."

[warriorprince1010]

Another loon trying to cause trouble. The public and private sectors of a country need to work together. Communists [all public] as we know fails and makes people poorer and steals their dreams. The government nay get rich but people suffer.

[crazydharma]

@warriorprince1010 how did you get there from here?

[FatherMcKenize]

i was following him until "pubic haircut"

[GiantBucket]

The Blade Runner soundtrack is what makes this video.

[friki69z]

HAHAHAHAHA, he actualy is talking about toilets - isn't that a really waste of time? :)

[pugyal]

@friki69z dude,this is not about toilets O.O

[mulicnik]

from where is this clip taken ? i've never heard zizek speak in slovenian lang.

[JVbin]

If anyone hasn't watched this video yet, jump ahead to 1:57 & pause it there without knowing the context of what he's saying. XD

[robomochi]

I believe the point may end up being that ideology is in the toilet ;)

[tread71]

The essence of philosophy is to start with something so ordinary and unsignificant that any normal person wouldn't even bother to think about it and end up with something so elaborately imagined that anyone else but the philosopher could made it up.

[tslapar]

Žižek, FTW!

(For The Win)

[franzpolak]

get your mind out of the gutter, old man.

[around10ish]

so this guy teaches toiletology and pubic region 101? sweet

[cebelica2]

lalalala...

[tadej1988tadej]

tip je car!

[JankoJ123]

Erica Jong gave the same thoughts in ''Fear of Flying''. Jesus, Erica Jong and Slavoj Žižek in the same sentence, I can't believe it!:D

[poetswolf1985]

Started off interesting, then made no sense. Frigging postmodern philosophy.

[skribboth]

It made sense the whole way through retard

[poetswolf1985]

@skribboth Actually, my dear asswipe, it didn't. Go suck a cock, kill your mother, and swallow some broken razor blades, you piece of crap. Love, -Jesus

[slickrickdarula]

try listening over and over

hes just showing ideology in toilets and then in pubic hair upkeep, its pretty simple

[martini1179]

Zizek is arguing that ideology is alive and well in our respective cultures, which manifests itself even in mundane things such as the way a culture designs its toilets.

[CapitalistOverlord]

@martini1179 That makes a lot more sense.

[pureecstasy]

what a brilliant fucker

[tomcornhole]

georGe carLin/robert anton wiLson SHIT diaLectic: common phrases :

"i am sick of this SHIT"

"you no good SHIT"

"i am gonna TAKE a SHIT"

i don't GIVE a SHIT"

vi$ion of the nations...ink pens and signatures on treaties and acts of war as expressions of excrementaL urgings...the oiL ink in the pen is the modern day monkey marking SHIT

[dantebezze]

žižek legenda:D:D

[ToiletWeek]

Far out. We can dig it. The New York State Thruway is Closed.

[georgezimmer]

philosophy is the study of one's own shit

[marcriganoskate]

haha

[kredit787]

@georgezimmer thumbs up to that! girls poop too.

[Dianaukma]

@georgezimmer He is great culturologist and philosopher. He has made contributions to theoretical psychoanalysis, political theory, and film theory. You should read his works to understand him.

[georgezimmer]

@Dianaukma Why are you replying to me... did I disparage Zizek in some way? Do you think I haven't read his stuff?

[Dianaukma]

@georgezimmer we live in a free world, so i can repry to anyone i wont :) and, besides, i'm a culturologist so that i can't just keep silence.

[pastageek]

So the basic point was that ppl believe that what they believe is right? Not really a profound revelation. The toilet was a good example about ideologies no doubt, but to say that people believe their ideologies to be the correct one is like saying a computer processes information and calling that a profound insight.

German toilets are pretty lol.

[kjoftak]

He made a point!

[valuedan]

i agree

[brajtnerinjo]

Does anybody know what is that music?

[Lecktor]

It's a track from Blade Runner. Don't know the exact title, Roy Batty's theme, Tears in Rain, something like that? Someone help me out.

[brajtnerinjo]

Thanks I'll check it out

[Mig440]

Yes you're perfectly right there ;)

[Zpendiuz]

mmm look The plague of fantasy... Zizek ve ideología en todos lados.

[ViktorW19]

His point in the comment about love, I think, is that you can't love everybody and that the world cannot be "filled" with love. You chose a thing, person from the Universe and oppose it to the rest, you are separating it, separating it from the world, take "evil" here not literally.

[ViktorW19]

Tuk je ideologija!

[aznboi4sa1e]

so basically, everyone thinks they are correct...

it's the end of ideology, but if you flush you are in the middle of it...

meaning ideology doesn't really die...

am i close? o_0

[janekbaranek]

What was that? The person who posted this video should have called it Man talking about shit side ways.

[FullMetalllll]

Too funny haha

[castorp278]

And did not the skeptics use the same method, arguments pro and contra with the same strength of validity (or non-validity). Nobody liked the skeptics because they were subverzive, just like Žižek (he follows Derrida here I belive).

[castorp278]

He is not a contrarian ? He opposes the ordinary concept of love (love is good) with his contary concept (love is evil). It's so obvious. You can take his example with the sound of music as well.

[castorp278]

What is this ? God save us from these postomodern clowns and their pretentious impressions ! We want to think again !

[deussitus]

Zizek is not a postmodern thinker to be completely exact...

[rascalrascal]

shit is important

[huwlemmey]

yawn. Postomodern? How about you pick up a book.

[castorp278]

You don't need to buy his book to see he is a clown, eventhough you need to read some other books to see he is a clown.

[huwlemmey]

Yeah sorry was in a bad mood last night. I have no issue with him being a clown, I think perhaps he is a clown, and I don't mean that to denigrate him. But I would argue that postmodern (or postomodern) isn't a great description because it would infer (and perhaps I'm wrong here) some sort of adherence to poststructuralism or at least a relativist take. Neither of which are really true of him. And one of the things he really has going for him is his lack of pretentions.

[castorp278]

To be honest I don't know much about Žižek so my judgment on his philosophy could be wrong. But from what I have heard of him so far it seems to me that in his popular analysis he is pointing at opposite meaning of different phaenomenons. For instance, he says ''Love is evil''. This thesis can be seen as paradox and relativization of commom concept of love which actually brings us to postmodern skepticism and probably deconstruction and poststructuralism.

[huwlemmey]

Well I think his infamous 'Love is Evil' comment is far from sceptical- what he's opposing here is this liberal notion that it is even possible to be filled with love for the world, that love is a pacifying universality- what he's saying is that love is the result of great imbalance, that love for a person is very exclusive, is a violent act towards the rest of the world.

[castorp278]

He is a living proof that an intelligent man can be really stupid. And he would probably agree with this : if love is evil, then intelligence is probably stupidity.

[castorp278]

And what is his basic premise, principle ? That EVERYTHING has some kind of hidden, unconscious, implicite, contrary meaning ? If it is so one sholud neve sleep because the enemy is ačways watching (paranoid philosophy).

[huwlemmey]

I don't think you're accurate here- he's not a contrarian at all- although I'm sure the idea of paradox is pretty important to understand his work. I think his main message is exposing the ideology inherent in society. To do this you MUST expose contradictions between what is said and what is inferred. He echoes false consciousness when he calls his book 'For the know not what they do' - I can't remember the Marx quote along these lines- something like 'They do, even though they do not know'

[castorp278]

I will posto you my comment on his thesis that love is evil.

[castorp278]

''Love for me is an extremely violent act'',Žižek. So,Hitler probably loved jews, israelians probably love palestinians and they send them lovely air-mail that killes hundreds of people. What is this guy talking about?As a philosopher he should be more carefull with the words he is using. Otherwise one could end up talking nonsense which is excatly what he is doing here.

[ximaposeur]

He didn't say that all negative acts spawn from love.

As a reader of philosophy, you should be more careful with your interpretations. Otherwise one could end up talking nonsense which is exactly what you are doing here.

[castorp278]

Finally, if love is evil then hate is probably good or there is no difference between them. Is Žižek send by the devil himself? No wonder he has a picture of Stalin in his appartment. His philosophy is one big and dangerous overreacting.

[castorp278]

In other words, isn't Žižžek's methodological approach postmodern approach par excellance ?

[marcaGeronis]

the German (and low countries) toliet was in fashion in America also for a time. It fell out of favour in the USA though. The theory was that you should examine your waste to determine your health (colour, texture, timing, etc.) Now it is likely just accepted,not for examinations, and it does use less water. There were many weird dietary theories in the past, as today. Besides examining your waste another infamous one was having to chew your food MANY times til it was liquidified.

[japka85]

žižek Ruls! :)

[adniculj]

He stole this almost word-for word from an earlier feminist writer.

[yobar23]

I did have to laugh the first time I used a German crapper. It was a porta-potty on a Bundeswehr Kaserne. I figured they put the shelf in the bowl to encourage people to leave the johnny ASAP after shitting.

[deussitus]

Zizek - the intellectual Elvis of our time.

[knulli250]

and the music is the Bladerunner Theme...

un-be-lievable true! Damn those Yuppie pubic haircuts.....

[NYCBG]

About "American toilet": The excrement "floats in the water" ONLY if your pancreas is not working properly. Otherwise, it's supposed to s(t)ink!

[doovcasanova]

hmmm...so its all ideology, but what is the ideology? anyone clear from other talks what his point is other than that ideology is everywhere. for it to be ideology, doesn't their need to be some sort of function?

[fredflash]

The whole point is that ideology manifests itself in functional ways. The different kinds of toilets are understood as manifestation of distinct ideologies. The whole point is that ideology informs function, that what is practical is ultimately a cultural decision.

[MariborchanX]

To see more Žižek videos, please check my profile..

[SoyoyoS]

one of the gratest thinkerer ever, hes still alive...

salud

[MorganAnsons]

I can only image the hands on research....

(joke)

A well made point, if not the strangest metaphorical comparison I've ever heard.

[fanferret]

"New Age Hippy"... what a clown, i cant help but feel like the joke is on us

[RisikoR]

this shit is dope

[Stirner123]

A brilliant fusion of Lacanian psychoanalysis and post-Marxist political economy. Zizek shakes the philosophical foundations of our entire civilization.

[ViktorW19]

For everyone he speaks Slovenian! Nije spomenuo Polski toaleti! LOL

[kenhoyt]

sounds like a polish joke

[ViktorW19]

What sounds like a Polish joke?

[lennna8585]

Slovenija!!

[DFORCE1969]

You could say he's become flushed with success;Try to find his critique on Spielberg & ET;Its hilarious!

[DFORCE1969]

having tried all 3 toiletry systems I think the french as usual,have the most elegant & practical system ;Societies which encourage you to examine your own feaces are In freudian terms,the most self obsessed,greedy & neurotic;The Dutch are an exception to this rule due to having the scheisse -on-slab system imposed upon them.

[chimombo]

What a clown! Though he's passionate about shit. I'll give him that.

[FarmingRules]

I use my cornfield as a toilet. Where does that fit in the triangle?

[AzzQim]

At the lowest point.

[av949]

@FarmingRules

You are applying your ideology to more uses than enjoyment of it's scent?

[falstaffswims]

I was under the impression that human shit was somehow naturally very special and different from, say dog or cat or horse shit. Ours, I thought, was lighter, more buoyant, somehow less earthy, somehow... less real. But then I went to Holland, where, like in Germany, your shit falls flat on a dry porcelain shelf... then I learned that all the "natural" properties of human shit were lent to it by the water it floats in, here in American toilets. I left Holland a wiser man, for sure.

[falstaffswims]

Holy shit. I don't make stupid puns, so don't misconstrue my words: holy shit! I love Zizek. And years ago, after a shocking trip to Europe, I wrote a column about this--minus the real insight and all that stuff, but... holy shit! This strikes me as a big, fat, reeking brown coincidence, the kind you get after eating greasy filth for days followed by a storm of fiber-fueled bran flakes and bean sprouts. And four cups of coffee. I mean a big, long, superhuman coincidence.

[3rdWorldCrusader]

This is shitty philosophy. =P

[borisjohnson2008]

ich liebe dieseN Mann.

[ViktorW19]

Najbolji si!

[warmperson2007]

This guy can be so funny sometimes!

[pixiecherries]

He needs his own cable tv show.

[carlitors]

Oh, yeah...

[chimombo]

That would suit him better, certainly.

[PattyOCripply]

Is that background music the same music as the scene in Blade Runner with Roy Batty?

[theratking]

good ear! although it sounds more like a MIDI version, not the original.

[clockworkjames]

LOL, POOP.

[mpdejon]

I'm thrilled to find this. I'm an American. As far as I'm concerned, either the American or French system is fine. It's the German I have so much trouble getting used to. I have not yet developed the ability "to ignore what I have produced." Nor have my roommates, flatmates, neigbors, fellow citizens, stray dogs and cats... The stench of the German system should rule it out immediately.

[KellyLogan]

Also as an American, I think we would be much better off if instead of working out ways to ignore what we produce, we spent more time becoming aware of and accepting it. ;^)

[chimombo]

duh...

[jzsarcasmo]

Vangelis & Zizek. Great combination.

[Irvihammas]

So that's why the german toilets are so weird, as I have been told... to see if your shit has worms! Praise the Internet for gems like these.

[timidtom]

Hmm, my German Ideology says that the system we have provides us with better protection against unwanted splashing, plopping and dirt.. The art of ignoring what you have produced is of course a very basic ability that you have to adopt when in Germany.. The american systm I can't figure out! Isn't it a combination of both pitfalls?

[jpsalova]

Indeed it is, and it even makes sense: Even though the subtitles say "American", he really says "Anglo-American", and England must be the third point the "European triangle", a kind of cultural melting pot historically, like the US is often said to have been later.

[ebauer]

Exactley, the Anglo-American version would be comparable to "cooked food" in Levi-Strauss' semiotic triangle

[chimombo]

Only Levi-Strauss was wrong.

[wearealltubes]

@jpsalova All of these toilets can be found easily in the UK: the german style is common in older houses and the american style is most used.

[smrkec86]

To confirm the already said - yes, it is Slovenian. I have always wondered what does my native language sound like to a foreigner :)

[ost2life]

:) sounds to me like a love-child of russian and italian. V.Interesting though

[iblahblah123]

it sounds really cool.

[jpsalova]

Must be Slovenian

[Mariborchan]

Yes, it's Slovenian. But I prefer English..

[cowestEverest]

what a beautiful language he speaks,

what is it?

].°O?