Slavoj on Lenin

[kenneth.mackendrick at utoronto.ca]

On Mon, 1 May 2000 08:56:29 EDT Apsken at aol.com wrote:

>     Given Ken M's dictum that the duty of Marxists is to clown, his 
> performance disappoints.

It isn't a dictum, it's a present help in a time of urgent need. I'm not so 
normative. Dictum's are a sure sign of bad taste.

> We knew before he wrote that he shares with Zizek  the "radical" concept that 
masses are to be anesthetized with obscurantism,  not summoned to the streets. 
The question on this thread, though, is whether  his hero is prepared to be 
equally direct on that issue, especially as he  pretends to embrace Lenin.

Why should he? To speak *directly* to an issue would be a contradiction of his 
modernist intentions. The postmodernism (sic) speaks "common sense" or "the 
plain truth" or "just the facts" (you see, I deconsruct this, and 'poof' here 
we go, see it for yourself). These things comfort, along with Hollywood and a 
batch of quick-bake cookies, they make us feel better - which includes getting 
us all fired up about something in the world (nothing like a stirring anthem 
to get me moving in the morning... I get knocked down, but I get up again... 
the power to the union, forever we... hic). Consolation can be in the form of a 
bottle, an easy chair or a [barbarian] rush toward the gates. There is no 
"ultimate" right or wrong way to do this, anesthetized with obscurantism or 
cliched to death... what's it going to be? It's a double edged sword you are 
swinging and Zizek here. Either he's too complicated and obscure, or, if his 
word were simplified, it would be vulgar or insipid. So you've really warmed 
him over here. A rather brutish strategy for a theorists you haven't even read! 
(don't cha think?). I guess charity only reaches toward those with a shared 
discursive-lifeworld? (ouch)

>     KM's and SZ's affinity to Louis Althusser is more direct. Theoretical  
Practice was a high-sounding pretext for avoiding the duties of lesser party 
members, such as passing out leaflets to actual workers, but otherwise is  
bereft of principle. If Theory is Practice, who needs the real thing? That's  a 
true Zizek/Mackendrick precursor.

Ha! If you only knew. Avoiding the duties of lesser party members. Go ahead and 
comfort yourself with that idea, it happens to be false, but pay no mind, you 
can have your loop sum of enjoyment.

As for Zizek, Zizek writes a book every three months or so, and he publishes 
something almost on a daily basis. This doesn't quite sound like someone who's 
taking the easy way out. Research, as you well know, if difficult work.

cut myself on a staple today, my lesser party members are on strike,
power to the union!
ken

"What sweet juicy strength!"
	- Rimbaud