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Zizek!|Issue64|PhilosophyNow

PhilosophyNowIssue64//philosophynow.org/issues/64/Zizek

Zizek!
GrantBartley!investigatesthefilmasadistillationoftheman.
Incontrasttoitssurfaceappearanceofmerelybeingclipsstrungtogether,thisdocumentaryabouttheeponymousSlovenianphilosophernotonly
allowshimtovoicehisphilosophy,butalsoseekstobeanillustrationofthisphilosophyinitsownconstruction.Inthissensethefilmaspiresto
perfectart,bymirroringitsownphilosophicalprinciplesinitsform,anditsomewhatsucceeds.Theexclamationcarefullyplacedagainsthisnamein
thetitleisacaseinpoint.Itsmorethanapunctuationmarkoftheusualpostmodernironicsensationalism:itknowinglyandholographically
illustratesZizeksphilosophyandhencethephilosophythroughwhichthefilmisconstructed.
Allowmetoexplain
ThefilmstartswithCreation:theexistenceoftheUniverse.Intypicalbrashstyle,Zizekexplainstousthatthereisnothingliterally,thatthe
Universeisapositivelychargedvoid.Ofcourse,thisismeaninglessmetaphysicalnonsenseifoneweretotakehimseriously.Itisahallmarkof
Zizeksstylethathesayseverythingseriously,evenhismostprovocativestatements,suchasthatJosephStalinwasanhonestman.Thereis
somethingcourtjesterishinhisconstantselfassuredproclamations,asifbyhisimplausibleseriousnessheinvitesyoupreciselynottotakehim
seriouslybutthisisallpartoftheplot.Asheexplainshisthoughts,wecanbegintounderstandhowhisconstantchallengingthroughuncensored
ideasperfectlyfitsinwithhisoveralltheory.Itisbecausehetakesthoughtseriouslythatthereisallthisprovocationandbluster.Itisjusttheworking
andlivingoutofhisthinking.
ThroughthefilmweseeZizekgivinginterviewsoneonaNYchatshowoneinbedonewhileplayingwithhisson.ToaccentuateZizeks
eccentricityweareshownaroundhisflat:hisposterofStalin,whichheputonthewalltoshockwhoeverwouldbeshockedintoleavinghiskitchen
drawsandcabinetswherehekeepshisclothesalongsidehiscutlery(anotherexclamationmarkimpliedhere)hisbookshelveswherehehastwo
copiesoftheforeignlanguagebooksheowns,forreasonswhichareneveradequatelyexplained.Zizeksaysthingslike,Loveisacosmic
imbalance,Realityisstupid!Loveisevilintheformalsense.Buteventheadditionofthephraseintheformalsensehintsthatbehindthe
motormouthcrouchesaseriousacademic,readytopounce.Ratherthanjustanotherdumbstatement,itispossiblytrue.
TobackuphisintellectualcredentialsthefilmisscatteredwithquotesfromZizeksbooks,ofwhichIthoughtWefeelfreebecausewelackthe
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languagetoarticulateourunfreedomtobeoneofthemostpithilyperspicacious.TheimpressionIgot,afactunfortunatelyconfirmedthrough
perusingoneofhisbooks,wasthathesafarmoreeffectiveandclearcommunicatorverballythanthroughthewrittenword.Itisnoeasythingtobe
ascontinuouslyspontaneouslyexpressiveofprofoundideasasthefilmmakesZizekappeartobebutitsashamethathiswritingsuffersfromthe
commonphilosophersdiseaseofconfusingsimplicityofexpressionwithstupidityofthought.
Earlyon,afterbeingautographhuntedoncampus,heclaimstohatefameandsaysIlikephilosophyasananonymousjob.Yeah,right!Theonly
plausiblesenseofthismanisassomeonewhorelishesattentionintherefinedsenseofbeingaffirmedthroughtheactofcommunicatinghis
importantideas.Zizekislucid,ifforeverpushinghisselfexpressionbeyondwhatthecensorofreasonablenesswouldenjoin.Hesayshisworryisnot
tobeignoredbuttobeaccepted.Healsosayshefearsstoppingtalking,incasepeoplenoticethereisreallynothingthere.Butwhatisthereisfar
fromnothing.
ZizekisaLacanianMarxist.Thisisawayoflookingatsocietyintermsofitspsychologicaldynamics.Forhimthisisthewaywecanunderstand
aspectsofsocietysuchasmodernfundamentalistracism(hisexample).Histheoriesaredifficultandcomplexanuancedpsychoanalysisofthe
impulsesandpsychologicalmechanismsthroughwhichlateglobalcapitalismoperatesandbywhichitisshoredup.Butashesaysinthelastwords
ofthefilm,thepresentationofsuchideasasdifficultisClasspropagandabytheenemy.Heeventuallyoffersusanincisiveanalysisofhisown
socioeconomicsituation.
In1990ZizekwasacandidatefortheSlovenianPresidency.(WhereinthehighlydevelopedanglophoneWestwoulditevenbeconsideredthata
professionalintellectualshouldrunforprimeoffice?Therisibilityofthispossibilityilluminatesourowncivilisationandcultureverywell,Ithink.)
Zizekwasdeclaredbyarivalcandidatetobemoreintelligentthananyofthem,butheunfortunatelydidntwinitselfatellingcommentonthe
democraticprocess.
HisRockStarAcademicstatusisconfirmedbythesightofhundreds,maybeathousandpeople,attendingoneofhislecturesinBuenosAires.Here
hetalksaboutreinventingutopiaButinwhatsense?heasks.Heexplainsthatoutofaneedforsurvivalwemustinventanintellectualspace
wherenewutopiasareenvisioned.Ashesayslater,themodernproblemoftheleftisthattheywantarevolutionwithouttherevolution.The
progressiveswanttochangetheworld,butatthesametimemaintaintheirrichandcomfortablelifestyles.Ithinkthisisaveryclearexpressionofone
ofthecentralproblemsof21stCenturyliberalmetaphysicalangst.Wewanttopreventclimatecatastrophe,butwedontwanttocutoutcheapflights
orpersonalcarownership,forexample.ButasZizeksays,hedoesntseehisroleasprovidingthegrandsolution,thebiganswerwhichwilltellthe
revolutionariesexactlywhattodo:ashesays,Idontknowtheformula!Instead,asacardcarryingLacanianwithabackgroundin
psychoanalysis,heseeshisroleinapsychoanalyticalmanner:toprovoketherevolutionariesintobecomingawareofthemselvesandthe
contemporarypsychologicalproblemsensnaringprogressivepoliticsinparticular,aswellasthe(different)problemsgenerallyensnaringhuman
mindswithintheoperatingofthepresenteconomicorder.
Oneofthesegeneralproblemsisapparentlythatnow,ratherthaneverythingbeingpermitted,everythingisprohibited:wefearsomuchinlifethatwe
cannotspontaneouslyenjoyourselveswithoutcheckingallthetimethatwerenotupsettingourhealth.Atthesametimethereisacommandfromour
societytoenjoyourselveswhichcommandalsosapsourenjoyment,becauseourpleasureisthereforenownolongeranatural,freeenthusiasmfor
life.IgotthefeelingthatthisisanareawhereZizekmoststolidlyrefusestoconform.Insteadhehasresolvedtospontaneouslyenjoyhimself,by
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beinghimself.Heiscertainlyexcitedbyhisownideas.Heisconstantlyagitatingtoexplainhimself:youcanalmostseesparksflyingoffhis
fingertips.Itseemsasifhesastoundedthatheshavingalltheseamazingthoughtseverystatementseemsaspontaneousreaction.Ifyourenot
excitedbyideas,thisfilmoffersyoulittlemorethanacrosssectionfromthelifeofacuriousindividualwhosebeliefinhisownthinkinghas
distortedhimoutofournormalhumanpassivitytoideas.Butthisabnormalbehaviourisalsopartofthegeneraltheory,forasheexpresseshis
agreementwithFreud,normalbehaviourisapathologicaldistortionofnaturalhumanity.Soinfact,hisirrepressibleexcitabilitybyhisthinking
showshowZizekslifeillustrateshisthinking.AsweseehimwatchingavideoofLacananddisparaginghim,heexplainshowtrueideologyistobe
human,andthattheworstdistortionofideologyistototallydenigrateapersonbypressurisingthemthroughsocial,culturalormediamanipulationto
actapart,becomewhatisfalsetothem,toportraythemselvesasiftheyaresomethingtheyarenot.Thisisasociallypervasivepressuretobadfaith
towhichZizekdoggedlyrefusestopaythoughtorlipservice,andaconspiracyforconformitythatthefilmwillnotcolludeineither.
Ofphilosophyitself,Zizeksideswiththelanguagesquad.Hesaysthepurposeofphilosophyisnottosolveproblems,buttoredefineproblems.
Trueproblemsdontneedphilosophy,butpracticalsolutions.IfacometwasheadingforEarth,youwouldntneedphilosophers,youdneednukes.
Philosophydoesntprovideanswers,butaskstheWhatdoesitmean?question:forexample,Whatdoesitmeantobefree?ThewayZizek
phrasesthismandateisthatphilosophyexplorestheimplicithorizonsofunderstanding.
Overthehorizonsofourfirstassumptions,themadmanisnotmad,thecomicisnotacomedian.Lateinthefilm,afterwehavebeenmanipulatedto
formaslightlycondescendingviewofthismanofloudopinionsdeliberatelytransgressiveofthedelicateedgesofreason,Zizekasksofhimself,
WhydoIprovokeunnecessarily?Theanswer:Purelytogetthemessageacross!Hehasabandonedhimselftogettingareaction.Heislivinghis
conclusions.
ThisishowthefilmitselfappliesZizeksthinkingbyshowinghimasheis,butinawaywhichrevealsourculturedpreconceptions.Seenfirstinthe
normallightbywhichweusuallyautomaticallyanalyseorunderstand,heisshownaseccentricinhisfreeexpressionofextreme,sometimes
whackythoughts,andthereforesomeonewhosethinkingisnottobetakenseriously.Butbytheendofthefilmithasbeendemonstratedtousthat
thisreactionistheworkingofourculturalnormsuponourexpectationsandperspectives.Itshowsusthatinnormalthinking(sic),ideas,
thoughtfulness,profundityandfullyfreeexpressionwitherawaythankstoaculturallynourishedexpectationthatthesethingsarenotworth
considering.Themessageofthesubtextis,oureconomicsanditsattendantglobalcultureencouragesustobestupid,oratleastpassively
intellectuallyconformist:butZizekislivingouthisownthinkingagainstthismentalstagnationbystubbornlyrefusingtofitthemouldofwhatwe
thinknormalthinkingandbehaviourshouldbe.Thefilmstimulatesthisrealizationsubtlybutadmirably,byeventuallymakingusreconsiderour
manipulatedfirstimpressionsofthisman.Theexclamationmarkinthetitlefitsthetheoryperfectlybecauseitsironicsensationalisationofthethinker
isinthecontextoflayingopenthehiddenassumptionsofthestimulationcultureagainstwhichthethinkeristhinking.Themarkisakeyforthose
whoknowhowtodecipheritpreciselybecauseitisemblematicofthedubiousneedtopopularisebysensation.Butbytheexclamationmarkbeing
there,itdrawsattentiontothequestionofwhyitisthere.
GrantBartley2007
GrantBartleyisAssistantEditoratPhilosophyNow.Someofhisshortstoriescanbefoundatauthortrek.com.

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