Slavoj Zizek

Dei verkelege heltane i dag er reserveoffiserane i den israelske hæren som nekta å lyda ordrane dei fekk, og helikopterpilotane som flaug over flyktningleiren i Jenin og fekk ordre om å fyra av rakettane sine, men som nekta av di dei berre såg sivile mål. Det er enkelt å vera helt med sitt eige land, men vanskeleg å vera helt mot sitt eige land. Eg ser berre desse som heltar i dag, dei som ikkje følgjer sitt eige land, men som handlar mot sine eigne land, seier Slavoj Zizek.

Volgens Slavoj Zizek kan in onze wereld – een universum van levenloze conventies vol dingen zonder wezen – de authentieke ervaring alleen maar een uiterst gewelddadige, schokkende belevenis zijn. Zoals 11 september. ‘Pas dan hebben we het gevoel dat we naar het echte leven zijn teruggekeerd.’

The Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek has gained something of a cult following for his many writings – including The Ticklish Subject, a playful critique of the intellectual assault upon human subjectivity. At the Frankfurt Book Fair in October 2001, he talked to Sabine Reul and Thomas Deichmann about subjectivity, multiculturalism, sex and unfreedom after 11 September.

So the magic moment did come: Milosevic’s leadership is over. But what can Yugoslavia expect from its life once the excitement of victory has died down? The country is still staggering under the burden of the West’s nostalgic image of a “multi-ethnic” Yugolavia. The West, however, has also grown tired of the Yugoslav crisis and is prepared to make do with anyone, just as long as it’s not Milosevic. Slavoj Zizek paints a picture of extreme capitalism going hand in hand with violent nationalism. A “russified” Serbia with its corrupt dealings will make the perfect partner for the West.

The reactions to the Austrian conservatives joining forces with the FPÖ can be attributed to the established political parties¹ need for a common enemy. In the “post-political era” the choice between Left and Right has lost its meaning, says Slavoj Zizek. The return of the extreme Right is the price that the “Third Way” of social democracy is paying for its renunciation of any radical political project.