Living in the End Times According to Slavoj Zizek

Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek, akaThe Elvis of cultural theory, is given the floor to show of his polemic style and whirlwind-like performance. The Giant of Ljubljana is bombarded with clips of popular media images and quotes by modern-day thinkers revolving around four major issues: the economical crisis, environment, Afghanistan and the end of democracy. Zizek grabs the opportunity to ruthlessly criticize modern capitalism and to give his view on our common future.

We communists are back! is the closing remark of Slavoj Zižeks provocative performance. Our current capitalist system, that everyone believed would be smoothly spread around the globe, is untenable. We find ourselves on the brink of big problems that call for big solutions. Whatever is left of the left, has been hedged in by western liberal democracy and seems to lack the energy to come up with radical solutions. Not Zižek.

Interview: Chris Kijne
Director: Marije Meerman
Production: Mariska Schneider /Pepijn Boonstra
Research: Marijntje Denters/Maren Merckx
Commissioning editors: Henneke Hagen/Jos de Putter

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Zizek
• Afghanistan
• economy
• China
• philosophy
• communism
• democracy
• capitalism
• cultural theory
• psychoanalysis
• ecology

[debaser181]

Love him, an absolute mental giant of a man.

[IngeniousEpithet]

@Reido2828

While innovation/tech advancement is admirable and has brought us some very notable rewards... we must also consider its double-edge. Industrialization, mass-society, and super-advanced technologies have presented exponentially-increasing pandora's boxes of wonders, solutions, and yet MORE problems to solve. I think we must be careful in our techno-obsession and lust for endless consumption... as the saying goes-- "Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell."

[Ollie9402]

@PapaWilk 'Communist state' is an oxymoron. Although of course nobody owns the word. Something horizontal like the internet can totally thrive in a social(ist) society if you ask me.

[PapaWilk]

Does anyone else see the irony of denouncing capitalism through the medium of YouTube, which belongs to a publicly-traded company: Google. Do you think a resource such as this could exist in this form in a communist state? It's clear to me that the revenue earned through advertisements allows YouTube to provide an incredible product on which to broadcast interesting conversations like this.

[Harrodsplays]

Though I can't agree with the man completely he's an excellent speaker.

[CaptainJones32]

@reido2828 very fair point, but I think that that is where philosophy lies, what is human nature? I think that this needs to be established before one creates a mental framework. I believe that human's are naturally co-operative, so I have Socialistic sympathies and loathe Capitalism. You believe in competition, where Capitalism would be a good answer. But everyone must understand that the system cannot be left unregulated, as it is too damaging to certain unlucky people.

[CaptainJones32]

@joaquinveyron you say that the failures of Marxist states are due to the teachings of Marx, not the neglect of them. Then you state that leftists don't understand Marx (I am sorry to announce that I do not believe that you do). That is a very obvious contradiction, those who tried to create Marxist states must have been leftists, so if they did not understand Marx, then the failures must not have been down to Marx's teachings.

[CaptainJones32]

I can see how anti-left politics is so common due to the intellectual giant that is joaquinveyron

[glowboy0014]

@MrDitto30 You apparently did not listen to anything he said. You got to confused by the words you heard. You are an idiot.

[MrDitto30]

@debaser181

the only thing giant about him is his ego

[MrDitto30]

with all the nose touching, he is clearly lying about everything he says

[MrDitto30]

this guys is a pro communist, I lived under communism and there was nothing good or even bearable under it