Slavoj Žižek

A captivating individual. I have watched 'Žižek!' the film which is where I started, and from there onto lectures, interviews and 'The Perverts Guide To Cinema' which was enjoyable. He sometimes seems a bit inconsistent but you can't really beat the guy for provocing thought. His ticks and mannerisms are spectacular, like a malfunctioning philosophy droid. Whether or not you agree with him, you kind of have to love the guy, i mean...look at him.

I have absolutely no idea how to embed youtube videos anymore and I'm too old and tired to figure it out so here's a little list to get people started:

http://youtu.be/eJ0LoiShvOs

If anyone can reccomend any reading material It would be appreciated. I have ordered a couple of books but there are so many its hard to know where to start. Actually, any reccomendations for compelling philosophers / cultural ctitics to watch or read would be great.

Edit - LOVE the new automated embedding feature.

smart guy who has essentially written the same book over and over. w/e.

i stopped him near grand central last november to say hi and that I was a big fan. he was carrying two coffees for someone else (he claimed.) he also said no one else had stopped him before in midtown. I asked if it was because he looked homeless. he laughed and said maybe. i said take care. he said you too.

/myzizekstory

also i had a bearded dragon when i was 8-12 called zizek. lol what an impressionable little shit i was in elementary school.

lol

  On 4/26/2013 at 2:38 AM, dr lopez said:

also i had a bearded dragon when i was 8-12 called zizek. lol what an impressionable little shit i was in elementary school.

What happened to the dragon?

ool dude. ive watched a bunch of lectures but havent read his books n dont plan 2 ... yet!

  On 4/26/2013 at 2:45 AM, Etch said:

 

  On 4/26/2013 at 2:38 AM, dr lopez said:

also i had a bearded dragon when i was 8-12 called zizek. lol what an impressionable little shit i was in elementary school.

 

What happened to the dragon?

 

it died

  On 4/26/2013 at 3:01 AM, vamos scorcho said:

ool dude. ive watched a bunch of lectures but havent read his books n dont plan 2 ... yet!

all i can say is be prepared. Zizek's style of writing is purposefully confusing/obfuscatory...it's certainly entertaining, but I've never come away with anything particularly amazing.

Though his more straightforward book commentaries on Lenin and Marxism are very interesting.

  On 4/26/2013 at 4:05 AM, dr lopez said:

 

  On 4/26/2013 at 2:45 AM, Etch said:

 

  On 4/26/2013 at 2:38 AM, dr lopez said:

also i had a bearded dragon when i was 8-12 called zizek. lol what an impressionable little shit i was in elementary school.

 

What happened to the dragon?

 

it died

 

He's a clown, who comes out with as much ridiculous bullshit as he does actual insight. But he's OUR clown.

I'm reading "Reading Lacan" at the moment which actually seems like a rather good introduction.

He touches his nose a lot.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

He's Slovenian like me, and I'm so proud of him, for having his own thread on watmm.

I love his ticks. Have you seen any crappy quality videos when his speech impediments come out as interesting idm sounds? Well, you should.

I'm reading Violence (off & on) right now. His central assertions about passive violence are, IMO, mostly accurate, insightful, and likely too subtle and anti-establishment (& mAnically-expressed) to significantly affect popular consciousness

  On 4/26/2013 at 5:24 AM, Smettingham Rutherford IV said:

 

  On 4/26/2013 at 3:01 AM, vamos scorcho said:

ool dude. ive watched a bunch of lectures but havent read his books n dont plan 2 ... yet!

 

all i can say is be prepared. Zizek's style of writing is purposefully confusing/obfuscatory...it's certainly entertaining, but I've never come away with anything particularly amazing.

 

Though his more straightforward book commentaries on Lenin and Marxism are very interesting.

 

What are you talking about? Zizek writes impeccably clear for the level of subject matter.

  On 4/26/2013 at 7:28 PM, doorjamb said:

I'm reading Violence (off & on) right now. His central assertions about passive violence are, IMO, mostly accurate, insightful, and likely too subtle and anti-establishment (& mAnically-expressed) to significantly affect popular consciousness

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jan/25/zero-dark-thirty-normalises-torture-unjustifiable

I thought that was rather on point.

  On 4/26/2013 at 8:43 AM, Iain C said:

He's a clown, who comes out with as much ridiculous bullshit as he does actual insight. But he's OUR clown.

 

I'm reading "Reading Lacan" at the moment which actually seems like a rather good introduction.

 

He touches his nose a lot.

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

I have ordered 'Reading Lacan' which I think that is the one I will be most interested in. A clown, no doubt about that, but I don't think he has much of a choice. Otherwise who would listen to him?

I do wonder about his nose. It must be effected by all the constant touching and pulling. I expect it has a different texture and consistency to a normal nose. Given the opportunity, this would be the subject of my first question.

How are you finding the Nexus btw?

  On 4/26/2013 at 11:37 PM, No Pomo said:

 

  On 4/26/2013 at 5:24 AM, Smettingham Rutherford IV said:

 

  On 4/26/2013 at 3:01 AM, vamos scorcho said:

ool dude. ive watched a bunch of lectures but havent read his books n dont plan 2 ... yet!

 

all i can say is be prepared. Zizek's style of writing is purposefully confusing/obfuscatory...it's certainly entertaining, but I've never come away with anything particularly amazing.

 

Though his more straightforward book commentaries on Lenin and Marxism are very interesting.

 

What are you talking about? Zizek writes impeccably clear for the level of subject matter.

 

Well, the whole idea of Zizek applying Lacanian psychoanalysis to his unique brand of communism requires that the text actually play out like a psychoanalysis session....things/ideas are thrown out there on the most loose of thematic parallels, but thats the whole point ultimately.

It can just get very frustrating very quickly to the uninitiated. I would know, I threw down the first book I read by him in complete frustration, but after reading some of his intros to Lenin/Lacan you sorta "figure out" why he writes like he does.

This quote of his sums it up rather well:

  Quote

I hate writing. I so intensely hate writing — I cannot tell you how much. The moment I am at the end of one project I have the idea that I didn’t really succeed in telling what I wanted to tell, that I need a new project — it’s an absolute nightmare. But my whole economy of writing is in fact based on an obsessional ritual to avoid the actual act of writing.

 

  On 4/27/2013 at 1:59 AM, Etch said:

 

  On 4/26/2013 at 7:28 PM, doorjamb said:

I'm reading Violence (off & on) right now. His central assertions about passive violence are, IMO, mostly accurate, insightful, and likely too subtle and anti-establishment (& mAnically-expressed) to significantly affect popular consciousness

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jan/25/zero-dark-thirty-normalises-torture-unjustifiable

 

I thought that was rather on point.

 

 

  On 4/26/2013 at 8:43 AM, Iain C said:

He's a clown, who comes out with as much ridiculous bullshit as he does actual insight. But he's OUR clown.

 

I'm reading "Reading Lacan" at the moment which actually seems like a rather good introduction.

 

He touches his nose a lot.

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

I have ordered 'Reading Lacan' which I think that is the one I will be most interested in. A clown, no doubt about that, but I don't think he has much of a choice. Otherwise who would listen to him?

 

I do wonder about his nose. It must be effected by all the constant touching and pulling. I expect it has a different texture and consistency to a normal nose. Given the opportunity, this would be the subject of my first question.

 

How are you finding the Nexus btw?

 

hahaha, about the nose thing...I never understood it either until I started lecturing....every now and then ill swipe at my nose like Im wiping it or something for no reason. I also carry out and intensely play with a rubber band if there is one near by.

Has he advanced human knowledge of anything in any way?

  On 4/27/2013 at 5:26 AM, Joseph said:

Has he advanced human knowledge of anything in any way?

umm...what kind of question is that?

how would we know now? what about 5 years from now? wha

nevermind, fuck it. your question is very silly.

Oh yeah I forgot, philosophy is not relevant anymore. Thanks for reminding me.

  On 4/27/2013 at 5:30 AM, Joseph said:

Oh yeah I forgot, philosophy is not relevant anymore. Thanks for reminding me.

Not a problem!

Whoa, wait, are some people still communists? Are you fucking kidding me?

wut

  On 4/27/2013 at 7:39 AM, Joseph said:

Whoa, wait, are some people still communists? Are you fucking kidding me?

Gonna take a wild guess and assume you own at least one Sam Harris book

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

We Are The Commumediatedists.

I am what you would call a hippy communist. It feels both free and part of something greater.