when i saw him on Democracy Now....i realized that 1) It's ok to be wiping your nose sweat continuously as you speak, so long as you're brilliant and 2) that there are others (successful individuals) who compile an argument that's not so-much-straightforward but brought together from various directions
brilliant... too bad I live in Alabama and pretty much the average person doesn't give a flying fuck about the ethics behind any of their economic transactions.
I know a solution, how about stop taking other peoples money. He doesn't understand shit. He doesn't offer any real solutions. Socialism caused the crisis and soon the system will collapse because of socialism.
@10mitchel23 I don't know how you got that, he definitely leans in that direction, I think the smelly brown shirt and saying he's a radical communist sum it up. If you think he is a fan of small government free market thinking, please let me know. Utterly boring the only reason people pay any attention to him is his idiotic appearance and farcical mannerisms.
slavoj gets more cardio speaking than anyone on the planet, except for maybe a couple italians or french.
post modern capitalism cannot sustain itself without mass poverty and suffering, it will implode from isolationist greed. in america, 400 people own more wealth than the bottom half of the population. the top wants more. they can't stop, eventually there will be the revolts you see in middle eastern countries, capitalist greed will prove no different than totalitarian dictatorships.
@tomitstube I don't know where to start, what he calls post modern capitalism is simply corporatism, bank bailouts etc. This is nothing to do with capitalism and has nothing to do with free markets. Socialism is basically the worst form of corporatism you can see it punctuating human development since the beginning of commerce.
@murrchops ~ simply not true. socialism started with the industrial revolution after the advent of oppressive capitalism - sweatshops, child labor, slavery, as late as 1905 there was systematic rape of female employees who had no rights. capitalism was a brutal system. socialism was a tide that rose all boats and created the middle class societies we have today. capitalism has run it's course in it's current state, humanity simply cannot survive it's disproportionate greed without conflict.
@tomitstube How did socialism create the middle class! Actually explain the process of how the middle class was created through socialism. Systematic rape of female employees who had no rights? Where was this exactly, Britain, the US? I can assure you woman in 1905 did have rights in the western industrial countries, want to see rape and hardship, have a look to see how socialism has played out in the 20th century, cast your eyes to Russia, China or Germany under National socialism.
@murrchops ~ "how did socialism create the middle class". ? through labor unions, civil rights, and worker rights. all pushed and won by the socialist and communist left. worldwide unity for a while. it was the answer to industrial capitalists, robber barons, and the gilded age. the industrial age bought hundreds of thousands of subsistence farmers to sweat shops, poverty wages, child labor, and slave conditions. most people were forced off "community" land and into these conditions.
@tomitstube This is totally wrong, a middle class is formed by business owners and entrepreneurs, have a look at the rising middle class in Asia and India now, I can assure you they have not been created through socialism, in fact they are scarred by your horrible ideas. You really are quite dangerous I suppose you would call all the large business owners in China "robber barons" exploiting all the ex-farmers who are finding work in their factories. I bet I know what the Chinese would say to you
@murrchops ~ i've heard your worn out argument many times, "it's the government's fault for interfering with the free market". at least you admit there is a fundamental problem. but what you and your fellow capitalists haven't been able to come to grips with is, the government (in america) has never been less regulated since the great crash it caused in 1929. it's exactly deregulation, privatization, and more power to the rich that has caused the current crashes. you have to realize this.
@tomitstube you know, you are totally right I can't believe I've been so wrong for so long! My God how could all those happy wealthy people around the world get it so wrong as well, I have to go over to Norway and tell them they need massive regulation and Denmark also. They would be much better off if the government was in control. The Swiss, we have to save them from their centuries old unregulated economy and get the government to start getting a handle on their success. You are a fool....
@murrchops ~ lol, you realize those countries you laud have significant socialist governments right? in fact, you are arguing my point for me. thanks.
@murrchops ~ look it up, they have the highest amount of public sector economies. you knew that's what socialism is right?
also, countries with the largest social programs have had the best growth, most stable economies, and least financial problems due to corrupt financial markets.
of course, like most indoctrinated capitalists, you confuse democracy with capitalism. and freedom with "free markets".
@tomitstube I think you'll find socialism is usually described as the communal ownership of the means of production. In neither Switzerland or Denmark does the government interfere with private industry that much. Companies are free to make a lot of money and in Denmark at least pay a lot of tax In Switzerland they pay very minimal taxes and have a tiny public sector so you are wrong. Like most indoctrinated fascists you should be sent to North Korea so you can witness your ideas ideas in action
@tomitstube I think you have it the wrong way round buddy, go smell the coffee and look in the mirror. I think that's the end of this actually. It's been a pleasure chatting.
Many libertarian socialists and/or anarchists would argue the problem is larger than that. To them business cycles and the following bailouts are inevitable as a consequence of Capitalism (also wage labor). In anarchist theory the state from it's very origin as a successor of the feudal system is the protector of the first class. Which is ironic because capitalists who espouse libertarian ideas emphasize the reduction or even the elimination of government power.
@Maphisto86 I have never heard of a libertarian socialist, what on earth is that and how on earth does that work? To say business cycles and bailouts are a consequence of capitalism is like saying diseases and death are consequences of being alive! What a ridiculous analogy! You make an association between being a capitalist and I assume the state protected elite, this is typical of socialists what they are actually seeing here is the consequences of socialism! Go read some Rothbard!
The word "libertarian" in politics was a socialist invention synonymous with anarchism. I have read Rothbard by the way. Socialism is probalby one of the most abused words in the english language. The entire western world has been taught since the rise of Bolshevism equals Marxism and "big government" when as a political "brand" is larger than that. Usually it involves production for use rather than sale, a emphasis on the collective and the end to economic exploitation.
@Maphisto86 So you want to go back to living in huts spending all day farming? I don't understand what you actually want? What is economic exploitation, are you being exploited, in what way? Are you against money? What is an "emphasis on the collective" you can't just stay this stuff without actually giving one example. How would you like to see the world? Give me some actual examples...
I never explicitly stated these were my own political convictions although I do agree with left wing critiques of markets and capitalism in particular. Economic exploitation is usually identified as not being compensated for total labor value traditionaly. Of course this is tied up in the labour theory of value which many economists have either replaced or outright rejected. What you and other right wing libertarians/classical liberals view as "corporatism" others see as capitalism.
@Maphisto86 so what? Are you a capitalist then? Corporatism is basically the same principle as socialism. How can you have a society without a market? Are you totally insane, what I really resent is the fact that you can make terrible arguments against capitalism but can never offer any real solutions to how people should live their lives and how the quality of life will improve without entrepreneurship.
Markets are indicitive of trade but not all societies have included markets (nor does capitalism = markets). A gift economy for example does not usually include a market. Most anarchists, libertarian socialists, etc advocate a modern form of gift economy where resources are under community control via direct democracy. According to Syndicalist thought businesses would be replaced by voluntary workers groups and self managed enterprises.
@Maphisto86 I do see your point but with the population density of a large proportion of contemporary society and the high degree of divisional labour involved in our goods and services I don't think it would be too practical. I think the future lies in the west in a sort of mixed economy, community life will become more important for such things as food, clothes and health while also participating in the global economy with a highly specialised divisional economy.
As for my own economic and political predilictions, I have usually leaned to the left but am not quite sure what economic system is best (as there is no perfect system). I just have a problem with those on the right (libertarian, statist or otherwise) who have a limited knowledge of socialist ideas, limiting their criticisms to the "socialism" of statist regimes like the USSR which were not democratic at all There seems to be misconceptions on both the left and the right.
@Maphisto86 The perfect system I think is one of constant correction, responding naturally to the needs of the people. The context will obviously define this and we will find the way that works for us the best, what I can say is that when one system gets too extreme it usually has a correction period......
Sadly, neither Capitalism or Socialism "as it exists" has ever indicated this natural equilibrium. For Capitalism and markets in general it is supposed to be the invisible hand of market forces. In a left wing Communist aspect it is suppossed to be free association and direct democracy. Neither system has truly been established IMO as governments have stepped in at one point or another, exerting an aloof, beauraucratic control that ranges from ineffectual to despotic.
@Maphisto86 markets are only readings of society, the economy is society, just because somebody gets rid of markets you can't get rid of capital or an economy. The invisible hand always works and is at work now, crushing sovereign debt and collapsing governments, you can't beat it. The only thing you can do is to try not to artificially manipulate demand or else the invisible hand will come along and squash you.
@murrchops ~ as for systematic discrimination and rape of women by employers and managers look no further than the triangle shirt company, or thousands of female sweat shops of the day. contraception was outlawed, as was abortion, women were forced to submit to the lowest of men, especially in sweat shops. a famous case of rape by men in the work place was in limoges france, 1905, an american porcelain industrialist owner, the rapes eventually led to a national strike of 40,000 workers.
@tomitstube so please explain how this was to do with capitalism and not just criminality? And how socialism would magically get rid of all this bad stuff. In socialism how would clothes be made differently? Would someone be in charge? I bet North Korea's factories are great to work in.
@murrchops ~ typical. the government gets usurped by so-called "free market" principles, let the "free market" free, let capitalism sort it out, laissez faire. then the so-called "free market" becomes a corrupt gambling casino that implodes crashing the economy.
the government, i.e. tax payers, bail out the failed private market. again.
an now all the "free marketers" blame the government for the crash.
you got your way, it failed, and now you're in denial.
@tomitstube I completely disagree, this crisis is all the fault of government interference, not having proper interest rates, bailing out failing enterprises and countries throughout the last 20 years and protecting their friends just like you have had in any socialist country since time began. Look at Singapore though or Norway and Canada and you can see capitalist countries that are very successful for the very reason that they get out the way of the free market.
@tomitstube I'm not sure your interpretation here is entirely accurate. Zizek mentions 'envy' and this is paramount. Human beings have desires and the reason capitalism has been working is because it addresses these desires most realistically because it is constrained by the limits of how hard someone is willing to work to get what they want (and in some cases luck). The capitalistic crisis will come when technology makes it impossible to have enough work for people to fulfill their desires.
@MaurDL ~ the "capitalistic crisis" is here now. i think 'envy' is more about greed. capitalism is unsustainable in it's current form. many multinationals spend $10 to make a $1 dollar profit, mostly propped by government subsidies, poverty wages, and the stealing of resources. always at the expense of large populations and environments. this approach is unsustainable and will collapse.
fundamental problem being that people and companies (im actually relatively well-off, not trying to rich-bash or anything) can leverage their wealth to change the system for their own benefit. fast food companies brainwash people from early on that the happiest meal is one eaten at a restaurant. oil companies bankroll the campaigns of oil-friendly politicians. they're largely decent people, but the rationale is that if "I dont do this wrong thing, someone else will anyway." and its true.
@hrolvnir ~ and there you have it, capitalism is not this inherent benevolence it's marketed as. the "free market' gave us slavery, is there anything more of an oxymoron? it's been sold by the rich to the poor, a lie, and the collapse of 2009 proved it. you deregulate the so called "free hand" of the market and you get corruption and theft on a grand scale. in america, the greatest middle class the world has ever seen was created by a very progressive tax system, it's now being dismantled.
@tomitstube i couldnt agree more, though i would add that the best way to change the system is to play the game. the only way to make a difference anymore is to leverage huge amounts of cash; mainstream society just wont listen to anything else. the OWS protesters, for example, arent being taken seriously by anyone in a position of power, but a few words by warren buffet about raising the carried interest tax are still making waves. point being, *WE* need to get into finance and banking.
@hrolvnir ~ we aren't interested in "playing the game". the game has been corrupted, money too easily buys politicians, those in power better be taking ows seriously because fundamental change is what the "system" needs. around 1979 in america, our economy was moved from a labor intensive economy to a finance economy. business instead of being concerned about their workforce and long term investment became interested in short term profits and the pockets of shareholders. bad idea...
@kapitalismos Solutions, solutions, solutions. The common falacious thinking of modern man is that we must have the end result of a solution. If we can't immediately think of a solution for what we see as wrong with society, economics, or education, then we should just shut up and accept it. No matter what, we must be critical of actions and our systems. If we cannot point out even small flaws or discrepancies, then we cannot fix anything with a solution. You don't have to agree, just listen.
So zizek goal is not to offer actual solutions. In proposing for a revolution he is provoking us to think. About the limits of capitalism, about new solutions. he doesn't have a clear plan, he knows we cant go back to 20th century socialism/communism. so we must be critical and think about new, radical solutions beyond capitalism.
Charity is a minute proportion of individual wealth or corporate profits. Capitalisms doesn't care for ecology or charity. Most companies lie about their ethics. Starbucks does it to sell more coffee by making us think that they are doing good. This approach will not solve the big problems of inequality and wealth distribution. Racism required laws, not not options.
So, what he suggests is to do nothing against poverty, to wait for poor people high levels of envy and resentment towards rich capitalist people. In this way, poor people together we could burn the global capitalism (the world). Then, we finally could make visible the ultimate contradiction of capitalism... mmh Clear, clever...but really, should we do nothing against poverty? only wait for poor people envy and resentment?
@Pamba15 No, he only criticises Sloterdijks solution, for not taking into account envy and resentment. We should do something against poverty, but not in a way that recognizes the rich as the few intellegent creative people who first create all the wealth, and then redistribute it in the form of charity for which the poor should be thankful, admitting that they are less capable human beings.
@jorgisdenaam I can see the critique to ideology. But only criticism without proposals is histeric. And specially in this occasion Zizek isn't histeric (see his book), He is trying to advance a proposal. For him envy and resentment are a sort of revolutionary tools. But we should be aware that envy and resentment will be a problem even in communism or to achieve communism. Isn´t capitalism based on idividualism? isn´t individualism fed by envy and resentment?
For zizek envy and resentment are fundamental sentiments in a society. In Capitalism, envy en resentment are constraint by thinking that the system is based on chance (Bill gates doesn't have 40000x more money because he is 40000x smarter, he just got lucky)
The idea of Communism takes envy and resentment into account, but in a different way. It proposes that wealth should not be owned by a few, lucky or maybe bright guys just because they happen to have or aquired the means of production.
@jorgisdenaam Sloterdijks wants to honour the rich and creative capitalist. In that way they keep on creating wealth and giving it back to society. But zizeks thinks this will lead to more and more envy and resentment. Only communism can be just and at the same time constrain these sentiments.
@jorgisdenaam I agree in all that you say. I agree in the diagnostic or critical analysis. My problem is how we offer actual solutions. To say only say 'communism' will save us isn´t enough (plus there is not a ultimate clear definition of communism). I see two big problems 1. how we push a change and 2, what do we do after the break point. I think Zizek is quite aware of this. Can you see what Zizek proposes in these two points?
@Pamba15 Yes I agree with you, zizek offers no 'realistic' solutions. But i think that is one of his main points. That we should think more about the situation, think more radical. He often says that today, we cannot think of change beyond capitalism. We can only make capitalism a little bit nicer, a little bit more just. That is the limit of todays debate. Only that is today accepted as realistic. Zizek wants to break through, i think.
@jorgisdenaam So zizek goal is not to offer actual solutions. In proposing for a revolution he is provoking us to think. About the limits of capitalism, about new solutions. he doesn't have a clear plan, he knows we cant go back to 20th century socialism/communism. so we must be critical and think about new, radical solutions beyond capitalism.
like a guy who spends 30mins to try to make his hair look like its bed hair, zizek tries too hard to embody the stereotype of the eastern european, post-communist intellectual. And loves himself too much for it. Another example of useless demagogy...
like a guy who spends 30mins to try to make his hair look like its bed hair, zizek tries too hard to embody the stereotype of the eastern european, post-communist intellectual. And loves himself too much for it. Another example of useless demagogy...
@peonchot Meh, he's an unapologetic sell-out and eccentric. The guy has a bust of Stalin by his bedside for Christ's sake. This doesn't make his ideas any less interesting or relevant though.
@peonchot ahaha you're fucking idiot. probably you have never talked with him personally. he is an eastern european, post-communist intellectual. Have you ever been in an est european university?
People learn in different ways, granted the talks are longer, but for visual or kinaesthetic learners the animations are an excellent way of absorbing the argument. Visually stimulating, animated, which is more involving for some, then the speech itself for the auditory receptors. For people to be educated and not just imitate knowledge, they have to undertsand it in their own way, which I think the images help with a lot. I've just watched all of them, I think they are brilliant.
Marx pretty much made this point already in Capital when discussing the working day. capitalists as a class eventually came to realize how fair labour legislation that limits the working day is to their advantage in that it effectively saves capitalism from its own stupidity by preventing a level of abuse that would result in the system collapsing under its own contradictions. maybe if Marx had cocaine, a deep V, and a youtube acct people would find him equally profound?
I completely agree - however, who is reading Capital? How is Capital reaching more people? It is inaccessible to the vast majority....what's more...Zizek doesnt take coke...its a nervous tic...he is highly neurotic by his own admission...the idea that he's on drugs is something jumped on by people who are either unable or unwilling to consider his views.
@clanko that is a fair response. in terms of how to make Capital accessible to a wider audience, i think David Harvey's work has done an excellent job in this respect. i am not unable or unwilling to consider Z's views. i am very much in agreement with him, i just don't find his ideas to be novel or complex so i don't get the hype. still i made an unfair assumption b/c the fact that someone looks like a cokehead, talks like a cokehead, acts like a cokehead, does not necessarily a cokehead make
@InevitableComedown I wasn't suggesting that you were unable or unwilling to do so but rather, say how something as cheap as pointing to drug use in order to 'explain' or discredit political philosophy is used by certain people for highly suspicious reasons. I think Harvey has done a good service in bringing Marx to a wider audience or at least making his works more accessible - but still, it really does seem suited for those 'already in the loop' - the left is lucky to have someone like zizek.
I agree that the corporate structures as we know them today are inherently corrupt, but we must ask ourselves about our roles in this whole scheme. The corporations depend on money that we spend on their products, and if they have so much of it, and are able to drive so many local businesses out of business, then the people are just as much to blame for their power. I agree with a lot of Zizek's social commentary, but not his socialism.
Money property system is ROOT of ALL problems, it creates/exploits scarcity, never creates enough jobs, allows people on top to control everyone/thing
1. people need food, water, energy, etc.
2. sharing all resources and knowledge allows maximum cooperative efficiency
3. creating an abundance of all our needs makes money, gov, crime obsolete
4. automating the production distribution, frees up humanity to no longer be wage slaves to governments or corporations
he has quoted sloterdijk correctly... however, he doesn't understand that sloterdijk is in no way a ideological philosopher... sloterdijk merely analyzes and interprets and analyzes and interprets with a certain narcissistic attitude and has no problem adapting different points of view, so to speak different perspectives of ideological perception. then he determines a solution following the ideological model... with ironic folly
4 people took their petty charity and won the lottery.
VVVandegere 3 days ago
Obliterating both the liberal and conservative fantasies in a brisk thirty minutes.
BoStevoD 1 week ago
He lost one pound while giving this talk. :)
elsurexiste 2 weeks ago
Stop blaming his mannerisms for your low comprehension.
featheon 2 months ago
He suffers from very severe anxiety. Those are like ticks. Now shut up about it.
jenlight 3 months ago 4
Just blow your nose man! I couldn't pay attention to what he was saying!!!
Dynergy 4 months ago
lol he´s got flu or just coke sniff? :D
Eliq09 4 months ago
He is so freaking hot on account of his maniacal intellectual intensity - but I wonder if he's coked to the frigging gills?
logotrix 5 months ago
@logotrix Surely his super human skills of intellect and word-smithery (is that even a word?) are heightened by some chemical compound...
dot8daisy 5 months ago
needing spanish translation :(
P1W3R 6 months ago
when i saw him on Democracy Now....i realized that 1) It's ok to be wiping your nose sweat continuously as you speak, so long as you're brilliant and 2) that there are others (successful individuals) who compile an argument that's not so-much-straightforward but brought together from various directions
lakid87 6 months ago
If only the state would provide a better set of dentures... sylvester's message would be more clearly understood.
123iii123iii 6 months ago
brilliant... too bad I live in Alabama and pretty much the average person doesn't give a flying fuck about the ethics behind any of their economic transactions.
capereyda 7 months ago
I know a solution, how about stop taking other peoples money. He doesn't understand shit. He doesn't offer any real solutions. Socialism caused the crisis and soon the system will collapse because of socialism.
murrchops 7 months ago
@murrchops actually he refutes socialism, he regards it as a cause of global catastrophe
10mitchel23 7 months ago
@10mitchel23 I don't know how you got that, he definitely leans in that direction, I think the smelly brown shirt and saying he's a radical communist sum it up. If you think he is a fan of small government free market thinking, please let me know. Utterly boring the only reason people pay any attention to him is his idiotic appearance and farcical mannerisms.
murrchops 7 months ago
@murrchops i got it from the last part of his speech :)
10mitchel23 7 months ago
Agh Slavoj, you should be president of the world
nobitte 7 months ago 8
i buy organic apples because they're not covered in pesticides which have all kinds of negative effects on my biology.
simple.
pazomblez 9 months ago 2
This has been flagged as spam show
stop snorting cocaine and you can lose some of that neurotic sniffing, itching, and sweating
trapmaster2000 9 months ago
Comment removed
trapmaster2000 9 months ago
i feel like this was only news to zizek
assiduously 9 months ago
every time he itches his nose it makes me itch mine. bah!
shaolinkin 9 months ago 3
@shaolinkin
Now it does mine... thanks asshole.
GlobalAlternateMedia 7 months ago
@GlobalAlternateMedia just sharing the wealth. you're welcome, comrade.
shaolinkin 7 months ago
slavoj gets more cardio speaking than anyone on the planet, except for maybe a couple italians or french.
post modern capitalism cannot sustain itself without mass poverty and suffering, it will implode from isolationist greed. in america, 400 people own more wealth than the bottom half of the population. the top wants more. they can't stop, eventually there will be the revolts you see in middle eastern countries, capitalist greed will prove no different than totalitarian dictatorships.
tomitstube 10 months ago 34
@tomitstube I don't know where to start, what he calls post modern capitalism is simply corporatism, bank bailouts etc. This is nothing to do with capitalism and has nothing to do with free markets. Socialism is basically the worst form of corporatism you can see it punctuating human development since the beginning of commerce.
murrchops 7 months ago
@murrchops ~ simply not true. socialism started with the industrial revolution after the advent of oppressive capitalism - sweatshops, child labor, slavery, as late as 1905 there was systematic rape of female employees who had no rights. capitalism was a brutal system. socialism was a tide that rose all boats and created the middle class societies we have today. capitalism has run it's course in it's current state, humanity simply cannot survive it's disproportionate greed without conflict.
tomitstube 7 months ago 2
@tomitstube How did socialism create the middle class! Actually explain the process of how the middle class was created through socialism. Systematic rape of female employees who had no rights? Where was this exactly, Britain, the US? I can assure you woman in 1905 did have rights in the western industrial countries, want to see rape and hardship, have a look to see how socialism has played out in the 20th century, cast your eyes to Russia, China or Germany under National socialism.
murrchops 6 months ago
@murrchops ~ "how did socialism create the middle class". ? through labor unions, civil rights, and worker rights. all pushed and won by the socialist and communist left. worldwide unity for a while. it was the answer to industrial capitalists, robber barons, and the gilded age. the industrial age bought hundreds of thousands of subsistence farmers to sweat shops, poverty wages, child labor, and slave conditions. most people were forced off "community" land and into these conditions.
tomitstube 6 months ago
@tomitstube This is totally wrong, a middle class is formed by business owners and entrepreneurs, have a look at the rising middle class in Asia and India now, I can assure you they have not been created through socialism, in fact they are scarred by your horrible ideas. You really are quite dangerous I suppose you would call all the large business owners in China "robber barons" exploiting all the ex-farmers who are finding work in their factories. I bet I know what the Chinese would say to you
murrchops 6 months ago
@murrchops ~ i've heard your worn out argument many times, "it's the government's fault for interfering with the free market". at least you admit there is a fundamental problem. but what you and your fellow capitalists haven't been able to come to grips with is, the government (in america) has never been less regulated since the great crash it caused in 1929. it's exactly deregulation, privatization, and more power to the rich that has caused the current crashes. you have to realize this.
tomitstube 6 months ago
@tomitstube you know, you are totally right I can't believe I've been so wrong for so long! My God how could all those happy wealthy people around the world get it so wrong as well, I have to go over to Norway and tell them they need massive regulation and Denmark also. They would be much better off if the government was in control. The Swiss, we have to save them from their centuries old unregulated economy and get the government to start getting a handle on their success. You are a fool....
murrchops 6 months ago
@murrchops ~ lol, you realize those countries you laud have significant socialist governments right? in fact, you are arguing my point for me. thanks.
tomitstube 6 months ago
@tomitstube Denmark and Switzerland, Socialist? I don't know where you got that idea, pretty much complete economic freedom actually/
murrchops 6 months ago
@murrchops ~ look it up, they have the highest amount of public sector economies. you knew that's what socialism is right?
also, countries with the largest social programs have had the best growth, most stable economies, and least financial problems due to corrupt financial markets.
of course, like most indoctrinated capitalists, you confuse democracy with capitalism. and freedom with "free markets".
tomitstube 6 months ago
@tomitstube I think you'll find socialism is usually described as the communal ownership of the means of production. In neither Switzerland or Denmark does the government interfere with private industry that much. Companies are free to make a lot of money and in Denmark at least pay a lot of tax In Switzerland they pay very minimal taxes and have a tiny public sector so you are wrong. Like most indoctrinated fascists you should be sent to North Korea so you can witness your ideas ideas in action
murrchops 6 months ago
@murrchops ~ a lot of hyperbole and misinformation seems to be your mantra. you're capitalist indoctrination is complete, congratulations.
tomitstube 6 months ago
@tomitstube I think you have it the wrong way round buddy, go smell the coffee and look in the mirror. I think that's the end of this actually. It's been a pleasure chatting.
murrchops 6 months ago
@murrchops
Many libertarian socialists and/or anarchists would argue the problem is larger than that. To them business cycles and the following bailouts are inevitable as a consequence of Capitalism (also wage labor). In anarchist theory the state from it's very origin as a successor of the feudal system is the protector of the first class. Which is ironic because capitalists who espouse libertarian ideas emphasize the reduction or even the elimination of government power.
Maphisto86 6 months ago
@Maphisto86 I have never heard of a libertarian socialist, what on earth is that and how on earth does that work? To say business cycles and bailouts are a consequence of capitalism is like saying diseases and death are consequences of being alive! What a ridiculous analogy! You make an association between being a capitalist and I assume the state protected elite, this is typical of socialists what they are actually seeing here is the consequences of socialism! Go read some Rothbard!
murrchops 6 months ago
@murrchops
The word "libertarian" in politics was a socialist invention synonymous with anarchism. I have read Rothbard by the way. Socialism is probalby one of the most abused words in the english language. The entire western world has been taught since the rise of Bolshevism equals Marxism and "big government" when as a political "brand" is larger than that. Usually it involves production for use rather than sale, a emphasis on the collective and the end to economic exploitation.
Maphisto86 6 months ago
@Maphisto86
By the way I was not "championing" Socialism but merely adding remarks about what libertarian (non-government) socialists/anarchists espouse.
Maphisto86 6 months ago
@Maphisto86 So you want to go back to living in huts spending all day farming? I don't understand what you actually want? What is economic exploitation, are you being exploited, in what way? Are you against money? What is an "emphasis on the collective" you can't just stay this stuff without actually giving one example. How would you like to see the world? Give me some actual examples...
murrchops 6 months ago
@murrchops
I never explicitly stated these were my own political convictions although I do agree with left wing critiques of markets and capitalism in particular. Economic exploitation is usually identified as not being compensated for total labor value traditionaly. Of course this is tied up in the labour theory of value which many economists have either replaced or outright rejected. What you and other right wing libertarians/classical liberals view as "corporatism" others see as capitalism.
Maphisto86 6 months ago
@Maphisto86 so what? Are you a capitalist then? Corporatism is basically the same principle as socialism. How can you have a society without a market? Are you totally insane, what I really resent is the fact that you can make terrible arguments against capitalism but can never offer any real solutions to how people should live their lives and how the quality of life will improve without entrepreneurship.
murrchops 6 months ago
@murrchops
Markets are indicitive of trade but not all societies have included markets (nor does capitalism = markets). A gift economy for example does not usually include a market. Most anarchists, libertarian socialists, etc advocate a modern form of gift economy where resources are under community control via direct democracy. According to Syndicalist thought businesses would be replaced by voluntary workers groups and self managed enterprises.
Maphisto86 6 months ago
@Maphisto86 I do see your point but with the population density of a large proportion of contemporary society and the high degree of divisional labour involved in our goods and services I don't think it would be too practical. I think the future lies in the west in a sort of mixed economy, community life will become more important for such things as food, clothes and health while also participating in the global economy with a highly specialised divisional economy.
murrchops 6 months ago
@murrchops
As for my own economic and political predilictions, I have usually leaned to the left but am not quite sure what economic system is best (as there is no perfect system). I just have a problem with those on the right (libertarian, statist or otherwise) who have a limited knowledge of socialist ideas, limiting their criticisms to the "socialism" of statist regimes like the USSR which were not democratic at all There seems to be misconceptions on both the left and the right.
Maphisto86 6 months ago
@Maphisto86 The perfect system I think is one of constant correction, responding naturally to the needs of the people. The context will obviously define this and we will find the way that works for us the best, what I can say is that when one system gets too extreme it usually has a correction period......
murrchops 6 months ago
@murrchops
Sadly, neither Capitalism or Socialism "as it exists" has ever indicated this natural equilibrium. For Capitalism and markets in general it is supposed to be the invisible hand of market forces. In a left wing Communist aspect it is suppossed to be free association and direct democracy. Neither system has truly been established IMO as governments have stepped in at one point or another, exerting an aloof, beauraucratic control that ranges from ineffectual to despotic.
Maphisto86 6 months ago
@Maphisto86 markets are only readings of society, the economy is society, just because somebody gets rid of markets you can't get rid of capital or an economy. The invisible hand always works and is at work now, crushing sovereign debt and collapsing governments, you can't beat it. The only thing you can do is to try not to artificially manipulate demand or else the invisible hand will come along and squash you.
murrchops 6 months ago
@murrchops ~ as for systematic discrimination and rape of women by employers and managers look no further than the triangle shirt company, or thousands of female sweat shops of the day. contraception was outlawed, as was abortion, women were forced to submit to the lowest of men, especially in sweat shops. a famous case of rape by men in the work place was in limoges france, 1905, an american porcelain industrialist owner, the rapes eventually led to a national strike of 40,000 workers.
tomitstube 6 months ago
@tomitstube so please explain how this was to do with capitalism and not just criminality? And how socialism would magically get rid of all this bad stuff. In socialism how would clothes be made differently? Would someone be in charge? I bet North Korea's factories are great to work in.
murrchops 6 months ago
@murrchops ~ typical. the government gets usurped by so-called "free market" principles, let the "free market" free, let capitalism sort it out, laissez faire. then the so-called "free market" becomes a corrupt gambling casino that implodes crashing the economy.
the government, i.e. tax payers, bail out the failed private market. again.
an now all the "free marketers" blame the government for the crash.
you got your way, it failed, and now you're in denial.
tomitstube 6 months ago
@tomitstube I completely disagree, this crisis is all the fault of government interference, not having proper interest rates, bailing out failing enterprises and countries throughout the last 20 years and protecting their friends just like you have had in any socialist country since time began. Look at Singapore though or Norway and Canada and you can see capitalist countries that are very successful for the very reason that they get out the way of the free market.
murrchops 6 months ago
@tomitstube I'm not sure your interpretation here is entirely accurate. Zizek mentions 'envy' and this is paramount. Human beings have desires and the reason capitalism has been working is because it addresses these desires most realistically because it is constrained by the limits of how hard someone is willing to work to get what they want (and in some cases luck). The capitalistic crisis will come when technology makes it impossible to have enough work for people to fulfill their desires.
MaurDL 5 months ago
@MaurDL ~ the "capitalistic crisis" is here now. i think 'envy' is more about greed. capitalism is unsustainable in it's current form. many multinationals spend $10 to make a $1 dollar profit, mostly propped by government subsidies, poverty wages, and the stealing of resources. always at the expense of large populations and environments. this approach is unsustainable and will collapse.
tomitstube 5 months ago
@tomitstube Profit = Revenues - Expenses.
I think you mean revenue. Because 1$ profit margin is sustainable (given a revenue stream of 11$).
Scientisticsoviet 3 months ago
@Scientisticsoviet ~ capitalism is failing.
tomitstube 3 months ago
@tomitstube See, now was that so hard to say?
Scientisticsoviet 3 months ago
fundamental problem being that people and companies (im actually relatively well-off, not trying to rich-bash or anything) can leverage their wealth to change the system for their own benefit. fast food companies brainwash people from early on that the happiest meal is one eaten at a restaurant. oil companies bankroll the campaigns of oil-friendly politicians. they're largely decent people, but the rationale is that if "I dont do this wrong thing, someone else will anyway." and its true.
hrolvnir 2 months ago
@hrolvnir ~ and there you have it, capitalism is not this inherent benevolence it's marketed as. the "free market' gave us slavery, is there anything more of an oxymoron? it's been sold by the rich to the poor, a lie, and the collapse of 2009 proved it. you deregulate the so called "free hand" of the market and you get corruption and theft on a grand scale. in america, the greatest middle class the world has ever seen was created by a very progressive tax system, it's now being dismantled.
tomitstube 2 months ago
@tomitstube i couldnt agree more, though i would add that the best way to change the system is to play the game. the only way to make a difference anymore is to leverage huge amounts of cash; mainstream society just wont listen to anything else. the OWS protesters, for example, arent being taken seriously by anyone in a position of power, but a few words by warren buffet about raising the carried interest tax are still making waves. point being, *WE* need to get into finance and banking.
hrolvnir 2 months ago
@hrolvnir ~ we aren't interested in "playing the game". the game has been corrupted, money too easily buys politicians, those in power better be taking ows seriously because fundamental change is what the "system" needs. around 1979 in america, our economy was moved from a labor intensive economy to a finance economy. business instead of being concerned about their workforce and long term investment became interested in short term profits and the pockets of shareholders. bad idea...
tomitstube 2 months ago
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scorpiogama 2 months ago
yes, now with OWS you can see you were right!
scorpiogama 2 months ago
@scorpiogama ~ it's only the beginning.
tomitstube 2 months ago
I couldn't watch this video, without having a box of tissues by my side.
Vreenek 10 months ago 2
I love listening to him, but I can't watch him. It wears me out.
shantih433 10 months ago 2
He's very right. It's useless to patch up symptoms in a fundamentally SICK system.
selvmordspilot 11 months ago
A popular fool that never proposes a solution. It is difficult to propose solutions, so why bother?
kapitalismos 1 year ago
@kapitalismos Solutions, solutions, solutions. The common falacious thinking of modern man is that we must have the end result of a solution. If we can't immediately think of a solution for what we see as wrong with society, economics, or education, then we should just shut up and accept it. No matter what, we must be critical of actions and our systems. If we cannot point out even small flaws or discrepancies, then we cannot fix anything with a solution. You don't have to agree, just listen.
DeadbeatShadows 11 months ago 5
@kapitalismos : Here's a sollution for ya'! Check out Zeitgeist: Addendum and Moving Forward. Now that's a diagnosis AND a cure.
Also.. Zizek is right about his critique.
selvmordspilot 11 months ago
@selvmordspilot i think there is not such thing as 'cures' in the sense that no one person, or small group of people are going to 'make a cure'
Commentary1984 10 months ago
@Commentary1984 : well, it treats the symptons. Call it what you want.
selvmordspilot 10 months ago
So zizek goal is not to offer actual solutions. In proposing for a revolution he is provoking us to think. About the limits of capitalism, about new solutions. he doesn't have a clear plan, he knows we cant go back to 20th century socialism/communism. so we must be critical and think about new, radical solutions beyond capitalism.
jorgisdenaam 1 year ago 5
@jorgisdenaam
self-managed socialism, of course.
GlobalAlternateMedia 7 months ago
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jorgisdenaam 1 year ago
Does anyone else think he's doing 8 balls in the venue toilets prior to taking the stage? Watch the Google talk. Wow.
rekouche 1 year ago
@rekouche lol
scout6686 1 year ago
Zizek, how much flake do you snort? :) Bravo!
STAGMAG 1 year ago
Check William Connolly alternative out. In youtube Capital Flows, Sovereign Practices, and Global Resonance Machines... fighting without resentment
Pamba15 1 year ago
low cut top never hurts Zizek!
southsydney 1 year ago 3
Charity is a minute proportion of individual wealth or corporate profits. Capitalisms doesn't care for ecology or charity. Most companies lie about their ethics. Starbucks does it to sell more coffee by making us think that they are doing good. This approach will not solve the big problems of inequality and wealth distribution. Racism required laws, not not options.
Ftfmglen 1 year ago
Nice TShirt!
alexshemesh 1 year ago
So, what he suggests is to do nothing against poverty, to wait for poor people high levels of envy and resentment towards rich capitalist people. In this way, poor people together we could burn the global capitalism (the world). Then, we finally could make visible the ultimate contradiction of capitalism... mmh Clear, clever...but really, should we do nothing against poverty? only wait for poor people envy and resentment?
Pamba15 1 year ago
@Pamba15 Yes, exactly. Or fuel revolutionary spirit by helping the poor and reminding them of why they're there. Churches do it, why can't we
zisel2 1 year ago
@Pamba15 No, he only criticises Sloterdijks solution, for not taking into account envy and resentment. We should do something against poverty, but not in a way that recognizes the rich as the few intellegent creative people who first create all the wealth, and then redistribute it in the form of charity for which the poor should be thankful, admitting that they are less capable human beings.
jorgisdenaam 1 year ago
@jorgisdenaam I can see the critique to ideology. But only criticism without proposals is histeric. And specially in this occasion Zizek isn't histeric (see his book), He is trying to advance a proposal. For him envy and resentment are a sort of revolutionary tools. But we should be aware that envy and resentment will be a problem even in communism or to achieve communism. Isn´t capitalism based on idividualism? isn´t individualism fed by envy and resentment?
Pamba15 1 year ago
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jorgisdenaam 1 year ago
For zizek envy and resentment are fundamental sentiments in a society. In Capitalism, envy en resentment are constraint by thinking that the system is based on chance (Bill gates doesn't have 40000x more money because he is 40000x smarter, he just got lucky)
The idea of Communism takes envy and resentment into account, but in a different way. It proposes that wealth should not be owned by a few, lucky or maybe bright guys just because they happen to have or aquired the means of production.
jorgisdenaam 1 year ago
@jorgisdenaam Sloterdijks wants to honour the rich and creative capitalist. In that way they keep on creating wealth and giving it back to society. But zizeks thinks this will lead to more and more envy and resentment. Only communism can be just and at the same time constrain these sentiments.
jorgisdenaam 1 year ago
@jorgisdenaam I agree in all that you say. I agree in the diagnostic or critical analysis. My problem is how we offer actual solutions. To say only say 'communism' will save us isn´t enough (plus there is not a ultimate clear definition of communism). I see two big problems 1. how we push a change and 2, what do we do after the break point. I think Zizek is quite aware of this. Can you see what Zizek proposes in these two points?
Pamba15 1 year ago
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@Pamba15 Yes I agree with you, zizek offers no 'realistic' solutions. But i think that is one of his main points. That we should think more about the situation, think more radical. He often says that today, we cannot think of change beyond capitalism. We can only make capitalism a little bit nicer, a little bit more just. That is the limit of todays debate. Only that is today accepted as realistic. Zizek wants to break through, i think.
jorgisdenaam 1 year ago
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@jorgisdenaam So zizek goal is not to offer actual solutions. In proposing for a revolution he is provoking us to think. About the limits of capitalism, about new solutions. he doesn't have a clear plan, he knows we cant go back to 20th century socialism/communism. so we must be critical and think about new, radical solutions beyond capitalism.
jorgisdenaam 1 year ago
Comment removed
jorgisdenaam 1 year ago
looks like he just crawled out of a sewer
boxwhead 1 year ago
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like a guy who spends 30mins to try to make his hair look like its bed hair, zizek tries too hard to embody the stereotype of the eastern european, post-communist intellectual. And loves himself too much for it. Another example of useless demagogy...
peonchot 1 year ago
like a guy who spends 30mins to try to make his hair look like its bed hair, zizek tries too hard to embody the stereotype of the eastern european, post-communist intellectual. And loves himself too much for it. Another example of useless demagogy...
peonchot 1 year ago
@peonchot Meh, he's an unapologetic sell-out and eccentric. The guy has a bust of Stalin by his bedside for Christ's sake. This doesn't make his ideas any less interesting or relevant though.
temp229009 1 year ago
@peonchot ahaha you're fucking idiot. probably you have never talked with him personally. he is an eastern european, post-communist intellectual. Have you ever been in an est european university?
sunsolesun 1 year ago
He touches his nose 81 times.
cloverboat 1 year ago 40
@cloverboat
first as tragedy, the next 80 times as farce.
logotrix 5 months ago
@cloverboat Oooo, you are good! I get so mesmerized I don't even notice his nose touching!
dot8daisy 5 months ago
@cloverboat Yup, he's worried about the powder falling back out.
Jakstr1981 5 months ago in playlist RSA Animates
i wish more people watch the actual speeches than the animation! its much more educating :)
markkeng 1 year ago
@markkeng
People learn in different ways, granted the talks are longer, but for visual or kinaesthetic learners the animations are an excellent way of absorbing the argument. Visually stimulating, animated, which is more involving for some, then the speech itself for the auditory receptors. For people to be educated and not just imitate knowledge, they have to undertsand it in their own way, which I think the images help with a lot. I've just watched all of them, I think they are brilliant.
dynamitefan8 1 year ago
Very good speech
ipwnorcs 1 year ago
sweet, sweat genius talking, talking, talking some truths
daimon20021 1 year ago 3
he`s one of a kind.... :D
SnjeskaO 1 year ago 2
great!!!!
MrSociolimoges 1 year ago
He made several great points, leading to a great conclusion.
gluposti 1 year ago
dude's got an itchy nose
CliffingtonFalls 1 year ago 3
I think he came right from the gym :))
hephzibah80 1 year ago
Marx pretty much made this point already in Capital when discussing the working day. capitalists as a class eventually came to realize how fair labour legislation that limits the working day is to their advantage in that it effectively saves capitalism from its own stupidity by preventing a level of abuse that would result in the system collapsing under its own contradictions. maybe if Marx had cocaine, a deep V, and a youtube acct people would find him equally profound?
InevitableComedown 1 year ago 8
@InevitableComedown
I completely agree - however, who is reading Capital? How is Capital reaching more people? It is inaccessible to the vast majority....what's more...Zizek doesnt take coke...its a nervous tic...he is highly neurotic by his own admission...the idea that he's on drugs is something jumped on by people who are either unable or unwilling to consider his views.
clanko 1 year ago
@clanko that is a fair response. in terms of how to make Capital accessible to a wider audience, i think David Harvey's work has done an excellent job in this respect. i am not unable or unwilling to consider Z's views. i am very much in agreement with him, i just don't find his ideas to be novel or complex so i don't get the hype. still i made an unfair assumption b/c the fact that someone looks like a cokehead, talks like a cokehead, acts like a cokehead, does not necessarily a cokehead make
InevitableComedown 1 year ago
@InevitableComedown I wasn't suggesting that you were unable or unwilling to do so but rather, say how something as cheap as pointing to drug use in order to 'explain' or discredit political philosophy is used by certain people for highly suspicious reasons. I think Harvey has done a good service in bringing Marx to a wider audience or at least making his works more accessible - but still, it really does seem suited for those 'already in the loop' - the left is lucky to have someone like zizek.
clanko 1 year ago
@InevitableComedown Do people not find Marx profound?
bullgoosesam 1 year ago
Dont argue with anyone wearing a V-Neck :D
bain19 1 year ago 4
who turned on the heat?
good speech
100ncr 1 year ago
I agree that the corporate structures as we know them today are inherently corrupt, but we must ask ourselves about our roles in this whole scheme. The corporations depend on money that we spend on their products, and if they have so much of it, and are able to drive so many local businesses out of business, then the people are just as much to blame for their power. I agree with a lot of Zizek's social commentary, but not his socialism.
grandmasterqz 1 year ago 2
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Money property system is ROOT of ALL problems, it creates/exploits scarcity, never creates enough jobs, allows people on top to control everyone/thing
1. people need food, water, energy, etc.
2. sharing all resources and knowledge allows maximum cooperative efficiency
3. creating an abundance of all our needs makes money, gov, crime obsolete
4. automating the production distribution, frees up humanity to no longer be wage slaves to governments or corporations
v=YxPPnCW6sMo
v=yPmHaTirnCc
dontblockmedk 1 year ago
Zizek > Your Government
ElTresDeMayo1808 1 year ago
Zizek is a sweaty ass
ILLhumanati 1 year ago
@ILLhumanati and how!
OscarCommie 1 year ago
DEEP VEEE!
taproots85 1 year ago
This is great, even though I think organic food a lot of the time legitimately, in a non-obscured-by-ideology kinda way tastes better
CubemenHandbook 1 year ago
@espacement What's your reasoning for saying that?
civilwarcalls 1 year ago
Good speech. Thumbs up!
First I've ever heard of this guy. He's so... "Greek" lol (it's not hard to imagine him in white robes, is it? :)
MusesMetaphorium 1 year ago
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espacement 1 year ago
sorry Slavoj youre better at analysing movies, you have it so stupidily wrong here.... the Zizekian age is dead...long love philosophy!
espacement 1 year ago
@espacement I'd also like to hear why he has it so stupidly wrong.
riverplate711 1 year ago
he has quoted sloterdijk correctly... however, he doesn't understand that sloterdijk is in no way a ideological philosopher... sloterdijk merely analyzes and interprets and analyzes and interprets with a certain narcissistic attitude and has no problem adapting different points of view, so to speak different perspectives of ideological perception. then he determines a solution following the ideological model... with ironic folly
daquidi 1 year ago 3
cocaine is one hell of a drug.
serveone211 1 year ago 4
@serveone211 what makes ya think he's snorting coke?
riverplate711 1 year ago
Zizek speeches make perfect background to porn movies. Try it.
NameFrUtube 1 year ago 3
Thank You
Kanduca 1 year ago
Sweaty genius.
lunarsandwich 1 year ago 129
@lunarsandwich yh I'm also thinkin he put on his wife's dress by mistake
chrish12345 1 year ago 5
@lunarsandwich He looks like a philosopher!
Wonderful! Bravo!
latviandude 1 year ago
as usual zizek rocks
ka4aka 1 year ago 61