Zizek's Lenin

[Carrol Cox]

Doug, it would be nice if some day, even once, you could treat a
disagreement as a disagreement and respond to it rather than attack
the character of anyone who disagrees with you. I call these
abstractions empty because, as far as I can see, they all represent
attempts to avoid talking about actual people living actual lives.
The Subject replaces the acting human person (and hides history
as a by-product). Desire replaces honest confrontation with human
desires. Social construction substitutes metaphysics for history. The
Phallus trivializes the oppression of actual women. Neurosis is, for
intellectuals, the 20th century repalcement of the 18th century
entertaniment of watching the nuts at Bedlam on Sunday afternoon.
Discourse is what Marx meant by vulgar economics.

Carrol

Doug Henwood wrote:


> Carrol Cox wrote:
>
> >Perhaps there is not all that much difference. As far as I can see what
> >is called "Theory" (with the uppercase T) consists primarily with the
> >manipulation of abstractions generated by mindless empiricism. Where
> >would Theory be without such mindless empiricist abstractions without
> >social or historical content as: Desire, The Subject, Social Construction,
> >Neurosis,  Discourse, The Phallus.
>
> Whew. Good thing we don't have to talk about those anymore. Makes
> everything so much simpler. Now we can get on with such self-evident
> tasks as Organization and Revolution, and Building Socialism.
>
> Doug