[lbo-talk] Zizek speech to OWS

[Chris Sturr]

I thought Zizek's speech was great, though Rick Wolff is great too. This
piece in the Guardian is apparently what he said in his first #OWS speech:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/oct/04/occupy-wall-street-new-york.
It's not so far in tone and aims from what Zizek does, but Rick does hit
that point he always makes that "capitalism as a 'broken' system that needs
replacing". I think all kinds of talks are needed--some people respond well
to a talk like Zizek's; some people respond to more interactive
teach-in-type stuff; some people need to be schooled on class and the basics
of a left critique of capitalism.

FYI,we have organized an #OccupyBoston Economics Forum, intended as a series
of teach-ins on bread-and-butter issues from radical economics.  The first
one is today at 4pm:  Arjun Jayadev of UMass Boston on why austerity is
crazy in a recession.  Tomorrow at 3pm: Bryan Snyder of Bentley University
on financialization. Tomorrow at 4pm: John Miller of Wheaton College, with a
live version of his D&S column, "Up Against the Wall Street Journal," in
which he'll talk to people about how to respond to right-wing myths about
the economy.  More speakers to come--we're probably going to have one a day
for a while. This is all in addition to the superstar types (Cornel West,
Chomsky, etc.) who are cycling through.

One talk I really want to get going is something that responds to the Ron
Paul types with their "End the Fed" signs, or at least provides an
alternative view for people who would otherwise be influenced by them.  This
piece by D&S columnist Arthur MacEwan is a good start:
http://www.dollarsandsense.org/archives/2007/0507drdollar.html.  I might ask
Arthur to do his teach-in on the Fed--there is such a need for a more
nuanced view than most people seem to have.

Message: 9
> Date: Mon, 10 Oct 2011 06:02:42 -0700
> From: John Gulick
>
> I haven't seen a video or read a transcript of his Zuccotti teach-ins down
> there, but I'd take one Richard Wolff appearance over 10 of the same by
> Zizek. He's giving the occupiers (quasi-Marxist) economic literary, as
> opposed to provocative quips, and trying to connect their process fetish to
> demands for more democratic workplaces.
>

-- 
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Chris Sturr
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