[lbo-talk] Zizek on Pussy Riot

Dennis Redmond metalslorg at gmail.com
Thu Aug 23 19:42:09 PDT 2012


On Thu, Aug 23, 2012 at 4:40 PM, Wojtek S <wsoko52 at gmail.com> wrote:


> Dennis R: "China and Russia are complex developmental states"
>
> [WS] Does not that mean the subjugation of the private sphere,
> consumption, civil society etc. to the dictates of austerity measures
> dictated by the state to boost investments needed for accelerated
> development?

Nope. That would be the Latin American military juntas and their Middle Eastern analogues (Mubarak, 1990s Turkey, etc.), which developed nothing but the bank accounts of comprador elites. Today's developmental states are all about growth plus investment in the social sector. Their economic success has been accompanied by incredible cultural and digital innovation. Don't get me started about the magnificence of Russian hip hop, because I'll never shut up.

Of course this has little to do with "Asia" except maybe
> geographical accident, but it has a lot to do with "knout" - no?
>
>
Zizek was obviously trying to dash off something topical, but I object to playing to the neoliberal mantra that the state = coercion, while free market frauds, scams, and bubbles = freedom.

I repeat, so as not to be misunderstood: (1) jailing folks for a stupid stunt for two years is wrong. But (2) Putin, who really did win the popular vote, had nothing to do with it. Russia is a fairly conservative society in many ways, and mudslinging at the Orthodox church is a red line for many ordinary Russians. Finally, (3) Russia needs to be judged like Mexico or Turkey, democracies struggling with long-term legacies of political repression and neoliberal violence.

-- DRR



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