I just listened to Doug's radio interview with Zizek. In it, Zizek explains a psychological reaction to ideological indoctrination which results in a refusal to absorb truth. He contrasts this view with one he attributes to Chomsky, namely that if all the facts are presented you can get people to oppose the wrong things that 'their' governments do to them and to others in their name. Zizek indicates that people don't want to know, they like the idea of being represented by a simpleton (Bush) who is manipulated behind the scenes by the evil intellectual genius (Cheney) because they accept that 'their' governing structures will do bad things and they don't want to have to think about it. They pay taxes so that others can do the dirty work, so to speak, for them.
I've noticed this phenomenon over the years and developed a name for it, "militant ignorance".
Is it possible that this militant ignorance is a product of both the natural desire to protect oneself from harm--survival instinct--which is nurtured ideologically ( e.g. among others: the dualism inherent in Christianity's attempt to hold back the chaotic tide of Nature) in our daily lives under class rule?
If so, how do we combat it?
Zizek finds the honesty of the neo-cons refreshing--"Hell yes, we're imperialists!" He also finds the dishonesty of the left in embracing tactics which have not worked and not admitting who they really are to have had a corrosive, demoralizing effect.
If we were to take his advice, would we be saying things like, "Hell yes, we want social ownership of the wealth! After all, we created it."?
Regards, Mike B)
===== "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."
Benjamin Franklin
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