Philosopher Slavoj Zizeck on Democracy Now- 2/6

[UDSS]

He is right about the so called left. But I call those ''left'' leaders not left-wing. Mandela, Lula and even Evo Morales are not socialists. The old social democratic workers party have betrayed socialism, that is why new workers parties are needed. The Spanish PSOE, the German SPD, Dutch PvdA and the Greek; PASOK are pro-capitalist and lost all socialist ideals.

A new left-wing is needed, a revolutionary socialist left-wing. Not reformists like Mandela and Lula.

[LodovicoAriosto1]

@UDSS true - you either play with global capitalism or mess with it. It becomes more and more impossible to juggle between as capitalism becomes more and more exploitative after the period of "temporary withdrawal" or "social consensus" when it was forced to face socialist countries between 1917 and 1991.

Those leadears who really try to form counter system are immediately called dictators, fanatics etc. and get into real trouble including a high chance of foreign invasion. Sad but true.

[Signtoygal]

look around...

[morbly]

For Zizek everything is tragedy!

[timetochilli]

zizek is the man!

[EclecticSceptic]

'Go to Masturbaton, and leave me alone'. Hahaha.

[feor2006]

I hope this economic collapse will wake up the world; make the disadvantaged rise up against the beast of capitalism. I hope people will ask themselves why $700 billion can be given the banks and we can`t mobilize efforts to eradicate AIDS and starvation in the wold. Let us open our eyes and see that the problem is Capitalism!

[tanvo93]

@feor2006 but it could lead the way to a chritian demogogue to gain power..especially with this war and the republican party..republicans are brainwashed w gengrich propaganda

[aresnfish]

it's so funny that she interrupts him to wish happy birthday to some dude and mention a bunch of random people. it's like interrupting ghandi to advertise cheezits.

[danielshacalis]

One of the slogans of 68 was "Take the streets back". I still find it more relevant today.

[ipwnorcs]

@danielshacalis All power to the people! Black Panthers!

[Taksisti]

Žižek was so right about Obama's possibility to make real change. Now, after a year in office it really shows that he is actually a conservative president. He is not there to shake thing up, but to correct the excesses of the Bush administration.

[Taksisti]

From a European perspective even Obama's health care plan is nothing new - and far from radical. Most developed countries have much more extensive public option than the one Obama is proposing. With Obama's health care plan US is not setting an example, not leading, but just following a path already well-trod by others.

[Hrema]

@Taksisti As a fellow European I agree. :)

[fathermocker123]

Class war memory is our weapon.Zizek is right,we should bring today back the real 68.

[9407113678]

It wouldn't be too radical to suggest that Cubas' state power (and support) would diminish somewhat if it was more 'open'. Furthermore, it would actually be in US interests potentially. It is an argument to be had anyway. Where does the strength of the DPRK come from?

[007meus]

from China

[brandon71085]

Too true if we define 'open' as we (american multi-national corporations) defined it in Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Russia, Poland; that is, the transfer of industry from the public sector to the private. There is a reason why Cuba's unemployment rate is 1.6% and ours is nearly 20% (U-6)

[doctorasstastic]

thats nice. close down  guantánamo bay. open up a channel with cuba. i'd say obama watched this interview.

[duckmonsterX]

Whats he talking about jerking off in a crowd? his lisp is confusing me a little.

[aghneya]

he means that there is this bourgeois self-expression that is identified with '68. and an increasing distance between people rather than a decreasing distance. instead, he prefers the all out protest where it's not just students' self desires for pleasure (not that such desires are wrong, it's just that they arent enough)...

[duckmonsterX]

Ok. That makes more sense then.

[feifeishuangyu]

It seems to me, if the planet we live on is facing great challenges as now, he gives me a hopeful perspective.

I just can not find any moral justification for colonization,racism,slaughter.­.. In this I agree with his insights totally. We are locked on religious debate. It's very simple. There shouldn't be any excuse of killing.

We only need to ask some questions to ourselves. Ask, ask deeper, and then we can see the paradox we are in.

[KafkaCrow]

"that idiot who thought that history was over"

Well put.

[ExMachine]

Well, two things, firstly Slavoj seems to suggest that Fukuyama is de-facto correct, the impasse is precisely what Zizek is contending with, but then, if i recall, Fukuyama has been good enough to change his mind (or have it changed).

[koolaird]

Fukuyama DID change his mind, )as Zizek explains in another lecture) because of the consequences of biotechnology, the ecological crisis, etc.

[the3mpyrean]

@KafkaCrow

Fukuyama was an idiot. But it was more idiotic of us to not take him seriously- and take steps to avoid it. Capitalism almost died in 2008, and yet all the believers stayed believers. Listen: this shit happens because capitalism is EVIL. Not flawed. EVIL.

[bapyou]

@3:50 -- "Let everybody in the world - except U.S. citizens - be allowed to vote and elect the American government."

LOL Bravo Mr. Zizek! Bravo!!!!

[onepack]

Mr Zizeck saved the day. what's wrong with her left eye anyway?

[deussitus]

Who the hell cares? He's a thinker, not a model.

[onepack]

I meant her, not him.

[projectdp]

Please post the next segment of this video!

[brendanmcooney]

Oh man. I was going to post this. You beat me to it! Anyway... as far as I know Amy Goodman never broadcast the rest of this interview as she promised. That's a real tragedy as far as I'm concerned as Zizek's challenge to Amy and to the Left is a really crucial one: are you just going to criticize the right and play the victim and never posit an alternative other than liberal pluralism? Or are you going to stand for something? Something truly radical?

[RationalEmotive]

The rest of the interview was broadcasted May 12 2008.

Lets get the record straight.

[brendanmcooney]

True. I posted this before she posted the second half of the interview.

It remains one of the best interviews she's done, second only to the David Harvey interview.

[LeopardFrogPilboxhat]

@brendanmcooney

Democracy now is far to the left of what passes as "liberal"

[sweetpotos]

Hey why not? Americans basically elect every other government in the world, or at least don't question their absolute right to do so.

[IconoclastDCLXVI]

It's a great concept and with US media being thr way it is it would probably be a fantastic idea. In fact. I might well be the best idea for every country in the world. True democracy the human race. Doing what is best for the human race rather than for the rich western "democracies" 5* favourite