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Primero Como Tragedia, Después Como Farsa (2000)

by Slavoj Žižek(Favorite Author)

3.82 of 5 Votes: 2

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review 1: This book is Žižek howling into the wind. I am old fashioned though and am precisely the type of reader the author warns about, the same reader he charges in the first paragraph to toss the book aside if Communism = bad in his mind. Well, sorry. I am politically and culturally naïve. Communism = bad in my uneducated mind. I get that Capitalism is pretty nasty in many ways too, and Žižek does a good job of listing them. Count me in as one of the clueless sheeple because, sorry, I count myself very lucky to enjoy the fripperies and soporifics of 'Late Capitalism'. Further, successful revolution and dissent always seem to be pretty nasty too. (CIA involvement or not.) Hence why Žižek squirms around trying to explain how revolution might come about without revolution, w... moreitness too his quoting Negri saying Communism and socialism must "cajole" capitalism into its downfall. This is ludicrously risible, and the whole book reads as both Tragedy and Farce indeed: farce because Žižek believes so ardently in a defunct political and sociological ideal (Communism) and tragedy because he agitates for trying to marionette its dusty corpse around, as if El-Cid like, we'll rally to its bright banner. Sorry, Žižek. Let me introduce you to some simple psychology, economics or anthropology (whilst recognising that you are an ultra brainy guy and much smarter than I am: I am merely being rhetorical:) Capitalism is one of the world's most successful ideas (beyond sex and taxes and religion.) Whether by acculturation or inbuilt predilection, it affects every life on the globe for good or ill. The clearest way it has done this is to have fetishised money. Whether acculturated or innate, people are avaricious and covetous and they love things and money. They love geegaws and goods. Capitalism helps them do this. It is like spiritual crack cocaine, and it is a trite observation to say that people think they can buy happiness. Sometimes they can. But Mr/Prof Žižek, do you really think that people will forgo their geegaws for revolution, or to flock to the banner of Hard Socialism or Communism? get real. Ain't gonna happen. Deep down, Žižek knows this. He thus makes his money as some kind of Lear-ean Fool: to stand upon the blasted heath of our world to chide and annoy and mutter a peculiar brand of advice, mixing the profane with the profound, as he tugs at the sleeve of power to remind it that its regal vestiture is hollow and empty. Indeed it may be, but all he can offer in the face of Capitalism's imperious gaze is, to quote another King whose realm was crumbling around his ears, 'words, words, words'. All his hip/ironic posturing can't disguise that he's backing a lost cause, his argument all sound and fury in search of significance. Meanwhile, Capitalism, if such a clumsily monovocal word describes a thing which exists in our multi-faceted, locally translating worlds, slouches onwards unwounded and imperturbable, leaving Žižek and his mewling French-twaddle wielding jargonistas in its wake. Rumble on, O engine. I for one, nail my colours to your mast.
review 2: Riporto le prime frasi sottolineate e salvate fra “i miei ritagli” dal kindle (in ordine apparentemente casuale):L’accettazione silenziosa di Berlusconi come un Fato è forse l’aspetto più triste del suo regno: la sua democrazia è la democrazia di coloro che, per così dire, vincono di default, che governano attraverso la demoralizzazione cinica.(…)Berlusconi è il nostro grosso Kung Fu Panda(…)Il divorzio, l’aborto, i matrimoni gay, e così via: sono tutti permessi mascherati da diritti; non cambiano in nessun modo la distribuzione dei poteri.(…)La sinistra si è ritirata nell’intimità del Reale sessuale e spirituale… Quello di “Dalla tragedia alla farsa” è uno Žižek scoppiettante, esuberante nel suo humour balcanico e un po' meno appesantito dalle sottigliezze filosofiche di lacaniana provenienza (Reale a parte). E’ meno labirintico del suo solito, insomma; e come sempre raggiunge l’apice della serietà quando gioca coi paradossi e si diverte a raccontarci le sue imbattibili storielle. Pur preferendo altri libri usciti dalla sua penna felice (a cominciare da “In Difesa delle Cause Perse”), di questo ho apprezzato l’acume di molti passaggi e le pagine finali, ove l'autore mette a nudo la crisi delle democrazie occidentali. Politicamente scorrettissimo, orgogliosamente dalla parte del torto… come dire: “Ben scavato, vecchio Slavoj!” less

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