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

Ideology Is the Original Augmented Reality

How we fill gaps in our everyday experiences. Released in July 2016, Pokémon Go is a location-based, augmented-reality game for mobile devices, typically played on mobile phones; players use the device’s GPS and camera to capture, battle, and train virtual creatures (“Pokémon”) who appear on the screen as if they were in the same real-world… Continue reading Ideology Is the Original Augmented Reality

Korean nuclear tension: Apocalypse… almost now

Korean nuclear tension: Apocalypse... almost now

The saber rattling and harsh rhetoric during the current nuclear standoff on the Korean Peninsula should remind mankind of something we have forgotten. Atomic weapons are terrifying things, and talk of using them should be a taboo subject. A week or so ago, I found myself reading Agatha Christie’s 80th, and penultimate, book, “Passenger to Frankfurt,” and… Continue reading Korean nuclear tension: Apocalypse… almost now

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

Donald Trump’s topsy-turvy world

Donald Trump's topsy-turvy world

The most depressing aspect of the post-electoral period in the US is not the measures announced by the President-elect but the way the bulk of the Democratic Party is reacting to its historic defeat. Notably, its supporters oscillate between two extremes: the horror at the Big Bad Wolf called Trump and the obverse of this… Continue reading Donald Trump’s topsy-turvy world

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

Why There Are No Viable Political Alternatives to Unbridled Capitalism

[Transcript below video.] I still believe in the saying of this old Frankfurt School fellow traveler Marxist Walter Benjamin who said that behind every rise of fascism there is a failed revolution. I think that even if we strategically, I’m not sure about it, accept this term Islam0-fascism for Islamic fundamentalists, this so called Islamic… Continue reading Why There Are No Viable Political Alternatives to Unbridled Capitalism

Electing Trump will ‘shake up’ the system, Interview with Mehdi Hasan

[Partial transcript below the video.] Mehdi Hasan: Slavoj Žižek, thanks for joining me on UpFront. Leftist, socialist, liberals, progressives all over the world, even moderate conservatives, are mourning the victory of Donald Trump. And yet you, one of the world’s best-known leftist philosophers, best-known Marxists, said you wanted him to win and you would have… Continue reading Electing Trump will ‘shake up’ the system, Interview with Mehdi Hasan