Zizek = the Third Way (was Re: Zizek on Haider)

Peter K. peterk at enteract.com
Thu Feb 10 21:24:11 PST 2000


Yoshie:


>Still & all, it is true that Zizek _is_ the Third
>Way who plays a "_marxisant_ cultural critic" for Verso, the Nation, etc.,
>and Dews neatly summarizes Zizek in a nutshell above.

Zizek on Haider: "Therein resides the ultimate proof of the liberal-democratic hegemony of today's ideologico-political scene, the hegemony which was accomplished with the emergence of the "Third Way" social democracy.

The "Third Way" is precisely social democracy under the hegemony of liberal-democratic capitalism. i.e. deprived of its minimal subversive sting, excluding the last reference to anti-capitalism and class struggle."

So Zizek is criticizing himself here? Maybe he's a fourth way, in between old-style liberal/social demcracy and ultra-leftism. He does seem to insinuate that by fighting on the multicultural (read identity politics) front one is simply carrying water for the Third Way. I think it's more complicated.

I'm wondering why you like the verb "plays". Zizek "plays" a marxisant cultural critic. Hitchens "plays" a leftist on TV. In reality they are not? A "true" marxisant leftist would be against NATO (the U.N.?) using military force anywhere, at anytime?

Peter



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