Should the left’s answer to rightist populism really be a “Me Too”? Part I

Should the left's answer to rightist populism really be a 'Me Too' - Part I

The latest trend in the vagaries of Leftist politics is the weird movement of MeToo. The Left, however, should learn from the rise of Rightist populism, because WeToo can play the populist game… We are repeatedly told that Left populism is de facto winning and it works. But where and how does it work? Everywhere where it… Continue reading Should the left’s answer to rightist populism really be a “Me Too”? Part I

Sex in the modern world: Can even a ‘yes, yes, yes’ actually mean ‘no?’

When commentators analyze the new wave of women’s struggles, one of their conclusions is that “no means no” is not enough to lead to a “happy sex life.” This is because it still leaves space for more subtle forms of coercion. Recently, in The Guardian, we saw an exemplary case of this line of argument: “Badgering… Continue reading Sex in the modern world: Can even a ‘yes, yes, yes’ actually mean ‘no?’

Act Globally, Think Locally!

Act Globally, Think Locally!

The looming military conflict between the US and North Korea contains a double danger. Although both sides, the US and North Korea, are for sure bluffing, not counting on an actual nuclear exchange, rhetoric never functions as mere rhetoric but can always run out of control. Furthermore, as many commentators have noticed, the weird thing… Continue reading Act Globally, Think Locally!

How did Trump really end up clashing with North Korea? By pursuing two contradictory foreign policies at the same time

How did Trump really end up clashing with North Korea? By pursuing two contradictory foreign policies at the same time

The looming military conflict between the US and North Korea contains a double danger. Although both countries are for sure bluffing, and not anticipating an actual nuclear exchange, rhetoric never functions as mere rhetoric but can always run out of control. Furthermore, as many commentators have noticed, the weird thing is that Trump decided to… Continue reading How did Trump really end up clashing with North Korea? By pursuing two contradictory foreign policies at the same time

La La Land: A Leninist Reading

La La Land: A Leninist Reading

Among the PC reproaches to Damien Chazelle’s La La Land, the one that stands out for its sheer stupidity was that there are no gay couples in the film which takes place in LA, a city with a strong gay population… How come those PC Leftists who complain about the sub-representation of sexual and ethnic… Continue reading La La Land: A Leninist Reading

The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology (transcript/subtitles)

The Pervert's Guide to Ideology (2012)

They Live (1988) I’ll give you a choice: either put on these glasses or start eating that trashcan. I already am eating from the trashcan all the time. The name of this trashcan is ideology. The material force of ideology makes me not see what I am effectively eating. It’s not only our reality which… Continue reading The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology (transcript/subtitles)

Refugees, Conservatism, and Cultural Incompatibility

[Transcript below video.] We who try to be decent people are bombarded by some kind of moral political pressure from two sides. First there is the worst one, of course, this anti-immigrant populist side; like, ‘why should we even allow refugees in; it’s their fault; third world travel and so on, there are enough poor… Continue reading Refugees, Conservatism, and Cultural Incompatibility

Sexuality in the Posthuman Age

[Appeared in Stasis 2016, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 54-69 – pdf] It is the profound distrust of sexual love that is the main feature of Platonov’s work throughout the 1920s. His great novels from this period—Chevengur and especially The Foundation Pit—are usually interpreted as a critical depiction of Stalinist utopia and its disastrous consequences.… Continue reading Sexuality in the Posthuman Age

Slavoj Zizek: Am I a Philosopher?

International Zizek Studies Conference

[Delivered at International Žižek Studies Conference on May 27th 2016. Download .pdf] In his perspicuous review of the volume [amazon asin=0822358913&text=Repeating Žižek], dedicated to my work, Jamil Khader notes how some contributors interrogate “Žižek’s credentials as a philosopher, especially in relation to Badiou’s critique of Lacan’s anti-philosophical position. Hamza points out, in fact, that philosophers who… Continue reading Slavoj Zizek: Am I a Philosopher?

A Cup of Decaf Reality

[amazon asin=B00005JMHB&text=The Real Cancun] (2003), the first ever “reality movie,” follows sixteen people together for eight days in a beachfront Cancun villa for the ultimate Spring Break vacation. The movie which was advertised with “NO SCRIPTS. NO ACTORS. NO RULES. ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN ON SPRING BREAK, AND IT DID.”, fared rather poorly at the box-office… Continue reading A Cup of Decaf Reality