The sad conclusion is thus that Israel and Hamas/Iran, UK anti-immigrant racists and Muslim fanatics, they all play the same game: the game of total war which can only end in their mutual destruction.
I'm disappointed by Žižek's lack of historicization here. Hamas and the IDF are not two sides of the same coin: one is a group attempting to liberate their generational homeland and the other is a colonial force trying to drive them out. The attempt at liberation is violent, maybe even suicidal, but how could one possibly imagine this Israeli government recognizing self-determination for *any* Palestinian population, regardless of who is in charge or how accommodating they could be to Israel's wishes?
In an interview with Jeremy Scahill, a senior member of Hamas noted that they consider “Palestinians” to include Muslims, Jews, Christians, anyone there before 1948 (and it was a diverse population!)- essentially that their concept of “Palestine” is a pluralistic society- the opposite of what Israel’s policies and settler land grabs seem to aim at.
Regarding Islamic fundamentalism, it should not be forgotten that the most powerful figures in this realm are the ones the West is glad to do business with- in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, even Saddam's Iraq when it was at war with Iran (and Iran when it was at war with Iraq!). It should also not be forgotten that the US repeatedly backed coups and assassinations against democratically elected governments (in the Middle East and everywhere else) throughout the 20th century and opposed popular movements against US-friendly authoritarian governments. This is obvious to anyone who's read history, but falls through the cracks in our age of "brown people filching off muh government!"
The hubris and greed of the West created all of this. And still, we are told the main problem isn't the people in power, but those whose countries have been decimated by that same Western greed. As the saying goes, "we are here because you were there."
"It should also not be forgotten that the US repeatedly backed coups and assassinations against democratically elected governments"
Yet we know this because the US admitted it via declassified documents. Russia has never admitted to anything similar, yet we know they are up to it. So, clearly, the US is morally superior.
Agree, liberation versus colonial expansion aren’t the same. And the moderate center is dissing the coalition that it needs to win against the serial rapist because either one helps the billionaire funders to their colonial goals. Zizek is parroting western liberalism that self immolated in Iraq for Halliburton.
You misunderstand Zizek's most fundamental point regarding the ultimate, most systemically powerful, historical-causative force. Namely the Capitalist World-System, its inherently conflictual nature, and that these conflicts are themselves riven by multiple, overlapping conflicts.
Re-read the last paragraph above
"The sad conclusion is thus that Israel and Hamas/Iran, UK anti-immigrant racists and Muslim fanatics, they all play the same game: the game of total war which can only end in their mutual destruction, and which is a false conflict obfuscating the true cause of troubles, the dynamic of global capitalism."
For further detail see e.g. Immanuel Wallerstein and his school of World-Systems Analysis
On the more specific question of Warfare, its nature and its causes in the modern world-system, Wallerstein can be usefully read alongside John Mearsheimer who speaks less about Capitalism (in fact barely at all) and more about "power" in the general, geo-political sense of the word as found in Realist IR Theory.
Otherwise intelligent people put blinders on when it comes to immigration. Most people are fine with common sense immigration and have no interest in the idiocy of racial labeling or group hate. What they despise are extremist policies that open borders to everyone and anyone with no plan for bringing immigrants in to a country intelligently. Then the same dopey government officials put extremist anti-speech limitations on frustrated citizens further flaming already heightened passions. If people want an honest debate on immigration, which can’t be conducted in the UK, then opening the door to other opinions is a must. Elon Musk isn’t the problem. He gives everyone a platform. It’s a shame the UK doesn’t allow opinions they don’t like. It could be a valuable indicator of how poorly they are managing issues, but instead they criminalize it, while ignoring the criminal acts of immigrants who should have been vetted prior to entry into the country. The UK is set to collapse. But not because of far right frustration, but because of a lack of recognition of the real problem. Open borders and the assault on those wishing to be smart about how a country welcomes the immigrant. Ultimately, like America, the ignorant voter deserves what they get. If you vote for kooks, be prepared for crappy logic, bad policies, the destruction of values, and the collapse of a country. Don’t worry UK, the USA isn’t far behind. Except ours will be much bloodier.
What would be the worst that could happen if we opened the borders to everyone? Honestly, has it ever been done? (other than the EU Schengen area, which I remind you allowed free movement to the people from the Balkans). Do we have any reason to suspect the results will be worse than "common sense" migration?
Only the fundamentalists who want sharia law in Europe pose a threat, but will most muslims listen to those whacks? Do most christians listen to Westboro Baptist Church? Egypt used to be much more feminist that it is today. They have gone back. Maybe the whole middle east war fiasco radicalized them? Maybe that can be reversed? If we close the border to most of them and say "no more of you troublemakers", I doubt this situation is going to get better. You're likely giving excellent propaganda material to the extremist muslims. That doesn't sound like a smart long-term plan.
But let's be honest, it's Putin stirring the pot. Really vigorously since he got Hamas to attack Israel for his birthday. Putin is public enemy nº1. He's an absolute menace and nobody is pointing the finger at him. Bloody man learnt too much from the CIA.
I don’t defend Putin at all, nor would I use the term “no more of you troublemakers”. A moderate immigration policy would look for those seeking better lives who want to integrate and become productive citizens. But it’s folly to believe an open border is anything less than an invitation to those who would see western society burned to the ground, and would then flood countries with the very worst they have, not to mention known terrorists. Immigrants aren’t all doe eyed dreamers thinking of ice cream and 4,000 square foot homes and ivy league educations for their kids, so lets stop pretending they are and put a vetting process in place that helps identify those that aren’t ISIS/MS13, and prison releases from dictators trying to dump their pedos on our doorstep.
Currently in the EU we have Schengen, aka freedom of movement between many European countries, including Slovenia, which Trump called a shithole. Is an open border with Slovenia an invitation to those "who would see western society burned to the ground"?
Also, regarding pedos, I doubt you actually care about the children. If you did, you would've rioted to get Prince Andrew investigated for his ties to Epstein's pedo island. But no. You're too much of a coward to say that, actually, what you really don't like is them looking foreign and being muslim. You can't accept you've fallen in hate with them. The moment you can explain why you hate them, your hate would disappear. So it is always mystified. The worst part is that so much hate against them is isolating them and driving them to hate you. It's a cycle of violence, man. It's what feeds religion. You end violence, you end religion. But you're making them even more extremist. You can't keep the extremists out. It's pure fantasy; look at what happened during 9/11. The only way is to stop the hate. Same shit for the Israel/Palestine conflict. It's senseless bullshit driven by fear and distrust.
You only care about British values because your own sense of identity is so weak that you need to belong to a geographical place to feel like you are treading firm ground. It's your psychic glue holding everything together. The moment you achieve your perfect British ethnostate, you'll either fall into deep depression or kill yourself. You'll find out that despite the gooseberry and cinnamon yoghurt, you'll feel just as lost as ever but now without even a promise of a solution to fight for. Whatever Britain does as a nation, it can never be anything other than British. Do you think it was British of queen Victoria to industrialize Britain? They ruined the traditional British landscape! Yet today those advancements are on the British passport. To be British is to put a mask on your face. Now it's an increasingly darker-skinned mask. But if you take off that mask, there is another mask underneath. And if you take that one off, there is another mask, an so on ad infinitum.
I get where you are coming from, but it's a piss-poor short-term solution to the wrong problem.
Lets see if I have this right. According to you, I’m racist, don’t care about children, hate people of color, am some sort of royal lover, and don’t want my very british values tarnished. The logic here is incredible - All Immigration restrictions = hate. BW wants some restrictions, therefore BW must hate all immigrants. Incredibly silly logic. The premise is broken, as most countries of the world have some restrictions. Finland, Canada, even crazy Putin’s Russia have immigration policies with restrictions. You’ve made many assumptions about me, all of which are false, starting with my background and ethnicity, but the one I take most exception to is the abuse of children. Its hideous to assume someone actually would support anyone, regardless of class, race, standing, stature, who abuses a child. Yet when the very immigrants who do not enter Britain or America or another country with good intentions, and then murder a child, you’re actually blind to it? In an earlier post you state what’s the worst that can happen? How about the murder of a child? Let’s open the borders…fine…but lets sacrifice your daughter, your sister, your wife, cousin, aunt, instead of some stranger. The point isn’t to stop immigration or be biased because of skin color. Its to stop seriously bad actors who want to do harm. Since when is the safety of good people a bad thing? It seems only in the name of an all or nothing flood of people for you. Maybe 90% are coming with good intentions. Fine. But you fail to understand the 10%, are not going to hold hands and kumbaya their way into being good people. There are honestly terrible people in the world. Thats just reality. If you don’t care to stop them from inflicting harm, I suggest you pick a loved one you’re willing to sacrifice, so another innocent, that doesn’t hold your beliefs, need not needlessly die at the alter of your philosophy.
"need not needlessly die at the alter of your philosophy."
There are fates worse than death. If you're a christian, you should know this. We were all foreigners in the land of Egypt. But maybe you're a christian who believes heaven should exist on earth and the ethnostate is your idea of heaven. Because, of course, the ethnostate has "some restrictions" to migration. The most racist state possible does not ban all immigrants; it allows some precisely so people can believe they are not racist and therefore justify being even more racist. "I have black friends".
And most children who get sexually abused suffer at the hands of their own family, so if there is a lot of sexual abuse of children in the UK, look at the natives. If 10% of ANY HUMAN POPULATION is made out of assholes, the more your population grows, the more assholes you're going to get because 10% of a bigger number is more than 10% of a smaller number. It has nothing to do with migration unless you make it about migration and start hating and repressing a certain scapegoat group. If you make a ghetto, you're going to get ghetto behaviour no matter who you put in it. It's human nature. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
And here is one last question for you to mull over: If Britain wants to go back to a previous idyllic time where migration was sensible and people were sensible, how is it that years ago you had sensible migration and sensible people yet you arrived at this current situation? Could it be that that previous idyllic time was actually shit and people wanted change hoping for something better? Or was it the new world order reptilians forcing this on you? If so, why do you go against the migrants and not against the reptilians? Because you're fundamentally a coward, that's why. Even when you kill people, you do so because you're too much of a coward to face the truth: your idea of Britain never existed and is not coming back to save you from yourselves. There is no daddy Britannia coming to whip your bum when you're naughty. You're an adult now. Act like it.
Where on earth does this ‘open borders’ thing come from? Have you known anyone trying to emigrate to the UK? It’s excruciating and hard, even for EU citizens
I don't know how Zizek gets misconstrued as a conservative so often. Occasionally his takes are off kilter but he's pretty clear if you follow him enough.
Except the end result of Globalization is endless conflicts, that slowly spread outward and escalates, and move from direct, acute, and brutal, to prolonged chaos. To say Israel wants war is to miss the point that Iranian action in Lebanon is an everyday declaration of war, sponsored by the global system.
In the older world engaging in such proxy wars would lead to a direct confrontation, while our modern enlightened system encourages edging at the threshold for as long as possible.
Unless you are taking a really historical view, blaming 'our elites' primarily for the situations in both Libya and Syria is pretty lazy, and I'd argue directly contradictory. In both cases a civil war had already broken out, in Libya there was then a ham fisted intervention followed by a shameful failure to support the aftermath, in Syria weve seen how an apocalyptic scenario can easily evolve without meaningful western intervention (beyond attacks on ISIS, and certainly relative to the involvement of Russia, Turkey etc).
This is a readable and very thoughtful appraisal of the political situation in the current world and its similarities to dangerous times of the mid 20th century.
At this rate, we don't have to worry about climate change - when the water rises it will be over dead bodies and broken societies. And the elites will drown in their bunkers drinking green shakes and microdosing while waiting for servants who don't exist anymore. Or I guess they'll be on their way to Mars....
He was banned on X earlier this week after he suggested King Charles and the UK military take over the government: : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucQVR2OTu4k So Elon Musk says civil war is inevitable and then bans people who suggest a dictatorship as a solution. But of course, it's not Elon doing the banning. Who knows how much police and government are forcing the hands of his content moderators under threat of fines and blocking access to X in the entire country? Under the velvet glove you always find the iron fist.
My god, would Stalin and Hitler have loved social media, although they probably would've become reddit moderators and gotten enough satisfaction there shadow-banning people (they are banned, yet they do not know it). I can just imagine Stalin today dying on a sofa after banning a load of people on the Zizek subreddit (yes, I am still mad).
If I ever go to the dark side, start worshipping Lee Kuan Yew and have fits of rage at anything that looks untidy, it will be because I've interacted with insufferable leftists on Twitter such as Professor Morton: https://ecologywithoutnature.blogspot.com/2023/03/this-really-got-to-me.html The more you apologize, the angrier they become. So the only solution is to go against them. That calms them because it ensures they won't have to live the hell of their utopia. How long until they start self-flagellating? Was "TOTALER KRIEG" not self-flagellating?
I claim psychologically there is no difference between banning someone and shooting them. So who really started the civil war? No trial, no recourse, no fundamental rights applicable, just banned. What happens when our brains are wired? Do we just get disconnected by some disgusting reddit admin who holds power because he or she is more radical than anyone else at punishing those who apologize? Well, as a masochist, I'm sorry. I am a racist, transphobic, kink-shamer, islamophobe, palestine-hater, white supremacist, capitalist, bully, evil being full of toxic masculinity. Oh please, forgive me and have mercy on my soul! Oh, dear woke mistress, please whip me harder! Oh no, an erection; I am so sorry. Tread on a cockroach and allow me to lick your shoe clean as penitence, BITTE! Oh no, I have dirtied your shoe with my pathetic semen! I AM SO SORRY! TREAD ON ME! PLEEEEEEEASE!!!! NUKE ME!
Now disavow your own masochism and BAN ME. My sadism wants to see you live the hell of your utopia. The key question is why. Why are we like this? Is it because we are not having enough children? Is this behaviour a deep part of our human nature evolved to ensure our survival as a species like a forest fire in the savanna? So ironically I agree with Musk: civil war is inevitable. Unless we make BDSM dungeons fashionable, of course. This really is starting to look like Sodom and Gomorra. I will start by claiming that it is NOT WOKE to say immigrants are good because they are essential to our economies (and here I cite Emma Lazarus' poem "The New Colossus", which specifically asks for the weak and tired, not the strong and tireless workers that will come pick our apples). Precisely the least functional immigrants should be the most welcome. Now say "yes daddy, I am sorry for being a racist".
DISCLAIMER: by reading this comment you agree to not take legal actions against it.
You started off by equating the Israel - Hammas genocide to WW2 ?!
This is not Britain and Germany trying to starve each other.
This is a besieged population, after 75 years of ethnic cleansing. A population with no army or state. Facing genocide by one of the most brutal and well equipped armys in the world....
This is not a fair and honest comparison -
You say hypocrisy is better?! Is this what you mean ?!
You misunderstand Zizek's most fundamental point regarding the ultimate, most systemically powerful, historical-causative force. Namely the Capitalist World-System, its inherently conflictual nature, and the fact that these conflicts are themselves riven by multiple, overlapping conflicts.
Re-read the last paragraph above
"The sad conclusion is thus that Israel and Hamas/Iran, UK anti-immigrant racists and Muslim fanatics, they all play the same game: the game of total war which can only end in their mutual destruction, and which is a false conflict obfuscating the true cause of troubles, the dynamic of global capitalism."
For further detail see e.g. Immanuel Wallerstein and his school of World-Systems Analysis
On the more specific question of Warfare, its nature and its causes in the modern world-system, Wallerstein can be usefully read alongside John Mearsheimer who speaks less about Capitalism (in fact barely at all) and more about "power" in the general, geo-political sense of the word as found in Realist IR Theory.
Žižek’s analysis is deeply flawed in one crucial respect: it fails to acknowledge the universal and persistent nature of antisemitism. By reducing the complex geopolitical and ideological tensions in the Middle East and beyond to merely symptoms of capitalist dynamics, Žižek overlooks the deep-seated and historical roots of antisemitism, which have long fueled animosity toward Israel and the Jewish people. Antisemitism was globalized even before globalization existed!
I'm disappointed by Žižek's lack of historicization here. Hamas and the IDF are not two sides of the same coin: one is a group attempting to liberate their generational homeland and the other is a colonial force trying to drive them out. The attempt at liberation is violent, maybe even suicidal, but how could one possibly imagine this Israeli government recognizing self-determination for *any* Palestinian population, regardless of who is in charge or how accommodating they could be to Israel's wishes?
In an interview with Jeremy Scahill, a senior member of Hamas noted that they consider “Palestinians” to include Muslims, Jews, Christians, anyone there before 1948 (and it was a diverse population!)- essentially that their concept of “Palestine” is a pluralistic society- the opposite of what Israel’s policies and settler land grabs seem to aim at.
Regarding Islamic fundamentalism, it should not be forgotten that the most powerful figures in this realm are the ones the West is glad to do business with- in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, even Saddam's Iraq when it was at war with Iran (and Iran when it was at war with Iraq!). It should also not be forgotten that the US repeatedly backed coups and assassinations against democratically elected governments (in the Middle East and everywhere else) throughout the 20th century and opposed popular movements against US-friendly authoritarian governments. This is obvious to anyone who's read history, but falls through the cracks in our age of "brown people filching off muh government!"
The hubris and greed of the West created all of this. And still, we are told the main problem isn't the people in power, but those whose countries have been decimated by that same Western greed. As the saying goes, "we are here because you were there."
"It should also not be forgotten that the US repeatedly backed coups and assassinations against democratically elected governments"
Yet we know this because the US admitted it via declassified documents. Russia has never admitted to anything similar, yet we know they are up to it. So, clearly, the US is morally superior.
Agree, liberation versus colonial expansion aren’t the same. And the moderate center is dissing the coalition that it needs to win against the serial rapist because either one helps the billionaire funders to their colonial goals. Zizek is parroting western liberalism that self immolated in Iraq for Halliburton.
You misunderstand Zizek's most fundamental point regarding the ultimate, most systemically powerful, historical-causative force. Namely the Capitalist World-System, its inherently conflictual nature, and that these conflicts are themselves riven by multiple, overlapping conflicts.
Re-read the last paragraph above
"The sad conclusion is thus that Israel and Hamas/Iran, UK anti-immigrant racists and Muslim fanatics, they all play the same game: the game of total war which can only end in their mutual destruction, and which is a false conflict obfuscating the true cause of troubles, the dynamic of global capitalism."
For further detail see e.g. Immanuel Wallerstein and his school of World-Systems Analysis
https://iwallerstein.com/the-eagle-has-crash-landed/
https://1lib.sk/book/2516035/7ca36f/the-decline-of-american-power-the-us-in-a-chaotic-world.html
On the more specific question of Warfare, its nature and its causes in the modern world-system, Wallerstein can be usefully read alongside John Mearsheimer who speaks less about Capitalism (in fact barely at all) and more about "power" in the general, geo-political sense of the word as found in Realist IR Theory.
https://1lib.sk/book/3602764/954afb/the-great-delusion-liberal-dreams-and-international-realities.html
https://1lib.sk/book/2695472/42a565/the-tragedy-of-great-power-politics.html
https://1lib.sk/book/693552/04af83/the-israel-lobby-and-us-foreign-policy.html
Otherwise intelligent people put blinders on when it comes to immigration. Most people are fine with common sense immigration and have no interest in the idiocy of racial labeling or group hate. What they despise are extremist policies that open borders to everyone and anyone with no plan for bringing immigrants in to a country intelligently. Then the same dopey government officials put extremist anti-speech limitations on frustrated citizens further flaming already heightened passions. If people want an honest debate on immigration, which can’t be conducted in the UK, then opening the door to other opinions is a must. Elon Musk isn’t the problem. He gives everyone a platform. It’s a shame the UK doesn’t allow opinions they don’t like. It could be a valuable indicator of how poorly they are managing issues, but instead they criminalize it, while ignoring the criminal acts of immigrants who should have been vetted prior to entry into the country. The UK is set to collapse. But not because of far right frustration, but because of a lack of recognition of the real problem. Open borders and the assault on those wishing to be smart about how a country welcomes the immigrant. Ultimately, like America, the ignorant voter deserves what they get. If you vote for kooks, be prepared for crappy logic, bad policies, the destruction of values, and the collapse of a country. Don’t worry UK, the USA isn’t far behind. Except ours will be much bloodier.
What would be the worst that could happen if we opened the borders to everyone? Honestly, has it ever been done? (other than the EU Schengen area, which I remind you allowed free movement to the people from the Balkans). Do we have any reason to suspect the results will be worse than "common sense" migration?
Only the fundamentalists who want sharia law in Europe pose a threat, but will most muslims listen to those whacks? Do most christians listen to Westboro Baptist Church? Egypt used to be much more feminist that it is today. They have gone back. Maybe the whole middle east war fiasco radicalized them? Maybe that can be reversed? If we close the border to most of them and say "no more of you troublemakers", I doubt this situation is going to get better. You're likely giving excellent propaganda material to the extremist muslims. That doesn't sound like a smart long-term plan.
But let's be honest, it's Putin stirring the pot. Really vigorously since he got Hamas to attack Israel for his birthday. Putin is public enemy nº1. He's an absolute menace and nobody is pointing the finger at him. Bloody man learnt too much from the CIA.
I don’t defend Putin at all, nor would I use the term “no more of you troublemakers”. A moderate immigration policy would look for those seeking better lives who want to integrate and become productive citizens. But it’s folly to believe an open border is anything less than an invitation to those who would see western society burned to the ground, and would then flood countries with the very worst they have, not to mention known terrorists. Immigrants aren’t all doe eyed dreamers thinking of ice cream and 4,000 square foot homes and ivy league educations for their kids, so lets stop pretending they are and put a vetting process in place that helps identify those that aren’t ISIS/MS13, and prison releases from dictators trying to dump their pedos on our doorstep.
Currently in the EU we have Schengen, aka freedom of movement between many European countries, including Slovenia, which Trump called a shithole. Is an open border with Slovenia an invitation to those "who would see western society burned to the ground"?
Also, regarding pedos, I doubt you actually care about the children. If you did, you would've rioted to get Prince Andrew investigated for his ties to Epstein's pedo island. But no. You're too much of a coward to say that, actually, what you really don't like is them looking foreign and being muslim. You can't accept you've fallen in hate with them. The moment you can explain why you hate them, your hate would disappear. So it is always mystified. The worst part is that so much hate against them is isolating them and driving them to hate you. It's a cycle of violence, man. It's what feeds religion. You end violence, you end religion. But you're making them even more extremist. You can't keep the extremists out. It's pure fantasy; look at what happened during 9/11. The only way is to stop the hate. Same shit for the Israel/Palestine conflict. It's senseless bullshit driven by fear and distrust.
You only care about British values because your own sense of identity is so weak that you need to belong to a geographical place to feel like you are treading firm ground. It's your psychic glue holding everything together. The moment you achieve your perfect British ethnostate, you'll either fall into deep depression or kill yourself. You'll find out that despite the gooseberry and cinnamon yoghurt, you'll feel just as lost as ever but now without even a promise of a solution to fight for. Whatever Britain does as a nation, it can never be anything other than British. Do you think it was British of queen Victoria to industrialize Britain? They ruined the traditional British landscape! Yet today those advancements are on the British passport. To be British is to put a mask on your face. Now it's an increasingly darker-skinned mask. But if you take off that mask, there is another mask underneath. And if you take that one off, there is another mask, an so on ad infinitum.
I get where you are coming from, but it's a piss-poor short-term solution to the wrong problem.
Lets see if I have this right. According to you, I’m racist, don’t care about children, hate people of color, am some sort of royal lover, and don’t want my very british values tarnished. The logic here is incredible - All Immigration restrictions = hate. BW wants some restrictions, therefore BW must hate all immigrants. Incredibly silly logic. The premise is broken, as most countries of the world have some restrictions. Finland, Canada, even crazy Putin’s Russia have immigration policies with restrictions. You’ve made many assumptions about me, all of which are false, starting with my background and ethnicity, but the one I take most exception to is the abuse of children. Its hideous to assume someone actually would support anyone, regardless of class, race, standing, stature, who abuses a child. Yet when the very immigrants who do not enter Britain or America or another country with good intentions, and then murder a child, you’re actually blind to it? In an earlier post you state what’s the worst that can happen? How about the murder of a child? Let’s open the borders…fine…but lets sacrifice your daughter, your sister, your wife, cousin, aunt, instead of some stranger. The point isn’t to stop immigration or be biased because of skin color. Its to stop seriously bad actors who want to do harm. Since when is the safety of good people a bad thing? It seems only in the name of an all or nothing flood of people for you. Maybe 90% are coming with good intentions. Fine. But you fail to understand the 10%, are not going to hold hands and kumbaya their way into being good people. There are honestly terrible people in the world. Thats just reality. If you don’t care to stop them from inflicting harm, I suggest you pick a loved one you’re willing to sacrifice, so another innocent, that doesn’t hold your beliefs, need not needlessly die at the alter of your philosophy.
"need not needlessly die at the alter of your philosophy."
There are fates worse than death. If you're a christian, you should know this. We were all foreigners in the land of Egypt. But maybe you're a christian who believes heaven should exist on earth and the ethnostate is your idea of heaven. Because, of course, the ethnostate has "some restrictions" to migration. The most racist state possible does not ban all immigrants; it allows some precisely so people can believe they are not racist and therefore justify being even more racist. "I have black friends".
And most children who get sexually abused suffer at the hands of their own family, so if there is a lot of sexual abuse of children in the UK, look at the natives. If 10% of ANY HUMAN POPULATION is made out of assholes, the more your population grows, the more assholes you're going to get because 10% of a bigger number is more than 10% of a smaller number. It has nothing to do with migration unless you make it about migration and start hating and repressing a certain scapegoat group. If you make a ghetto, you're going to get ghetto behaviour no matter who you put in it. It's human nature. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
And here is one last question for you to mull over: If Britain wants to go back to a previous idyllic time where migration was sensible and people were sensible, how is it that years ago you had sensible migration and sensible people yet you arrived at this current situation? Could it be that that previous idyllic time was actually shit and people wanted change hoping for something better? Or was it the new world order reptilians forcing this on you? If so, why do you go against the migrants and not against the reptilians? Because you're fundamentally a coward, that's why. Even when you kill people, you do so because you're too much of a coward to face the truth: your idea of Britain never existed and is not coming back to save you from yourselves. There is no daddy Britannia coming to whip your bum when you're naughty. You're an adult now. Act like it.
“There are fates worse than death.”
Well, at least we know you’re willing to sacrifice someone else’s child for your disgust at the western world. So much for being against hate.
Where on earth does this ‘open borders’ thing come from? Have you known anyone trying to emigrate to the UK? It’s excruciating and hard, even for EU citizens
I don't know how Zizek gets misconstrued as a conservative so often. Occasionally his takes are off kilter but he's pretty clear if you follow him enough.
Except the end result of Globalization is endless conflicts, that slowly spread outward and escalates, and move from direct, acute, and brutal, to prolonged chaos. To say Israel wants war is to miss the point that Iranian action in Lebanon is an everyday declaration of war, sponsored by the global system.
In the older world engaging in such proxy wars would lead to a direct confrontation, while our modern enlightened system encourages edging at the threshold for as long as possible.
Unless you are taking a really historical view, blaming 'our elites' primarily for the situations in both Libya and Syria is pretty lazy, and I'd argue directly contradictory. In both cases a civil war had already broken out, in Libya there was then a ham fisted intervention followed by a shameful failure to support the aftermath, in Syria weve seen how an apocalyptic scenario can easily evolve without meaningful western intervention (beyond attacks on ISIS, and certainly relative to the involvement of Russia, Turkey etc).
This is a readable and very thoughtful appraisal of the political situation in the current world and its similarities to dangerous times of the mid 20th century.
At this rate, we don't have to worry about climate change - when the water rises it will be over dead bodies and broken societies. And the elites will drown in their bunkers drinking green shakes and microdosing while waiting for servants who don't exist anymore. Or I guess they'll be on their way to Mars....
I blame the woke left; those who the more you apologize to, the angrier they get. CASE STUDY: Charlie Veitch. Please explain how someone who said this: https://youtu.be/2azI9eUiVrg?si=DKmanVSXfXdUlIFS&t=500 13 years later is saying this: https://youtu.be/-zBq4nqKdnI?si=iaGkL3ECU0IHCuMQ&t=36
He was banned on X earlier this week after he suggested King Charles and the UK military take over the government: : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucQVR2OTu4k So Elon Musk says civil war is inevitable and then bans people who suggest a dictatorship as a solution. But of course, it's not Elon doing the banning. Who knows how much police and government are forcing the hands of his content moderators under threat of fines and blocking access to X in the entire country? Under the velvet glove you always find the iron fist.
My god, would Stalin and Hitler have loved social media, although they probably would've become reddit moderators and gotten enough satisfaction there shadow-banning people (they are banned, yet they do not know it). I can just imagine Stalin today dying on a sofa after banning a load of people on the Zizek subreddit (yes, I am still mad).
If I ever go to the dark side, start worshipping Lee Kuan Yew and have fits of rage at anything that looks untidy, it will be because I've interacted with insufferable leftists on Twitter such as Professor Morton: https://ecologywithoutnature.blogspot.com/2023/03/this-really-got-to-me.html The more you apologize, the angrier they become. So the only solution is to go against them. That calms them because it ensures they won't have to live the hell of their utopia. How long until they start self-flagellating? Was "TOTALER KRIEG" not self-flagellating?
I claim psychologically there is no difference between banning someone and shooting them. So who really started the civil war? No trial, no recourse, no fundamental rights applicable, just banned. What happens when our brains are wired? Do we just get disconnected by some disgusting reddit admin who holds power because he or she is more radical than anyone else at punishing those who apologize? Well, as a masochist, I'm sorry. I am a racist, transphobic, kink-shamer, islamophobe, palestine-hater, white supremacist, capitalist, bully, evil being full of toxic masculinity. Oh please, forgive me and have mercy on my soul! Oh, dear woke mistress, please whip me harder! Oh no, an erection; I am so sorry. Tread on a cockroach and allow me to lick your shoe clean as penitence, BITTE! Oh no, I have dirtied your shoe with my pathetic semen! I AM SO SORRY! TREAD ON ME! PLEEEEEEEASE!!!! NUKE ME!
Now disavow your own masochism and BAN ME. My sadism wants to see you live the hell of your utopia. The key question is why. Why are we like this? Is it because we are not having enough children? Is this behaviour a deep part of our human nature evolved to ensure our survival as a species like a forest fire in the savanna? So ironically I agree with Musk: civil war is inevitable. Unless we make BDSM dungeons fashionable, of course. This really is starting to look like Sodom and Gomorra. I will start by claiming that it is NOT WOKE to say immigrants are good because they are essential to our economies (and here I cite Emma Lazarus' poem "The New Colossus", which specifically asks for the weak and tired, not the strong and tireless workers that will come pick our apples). Precisely the least functional immigrants should be the most welcome. Now say "yes daddy, I am sorry for being a racist".
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You make it worse by implying that the right thing to do is to vote for harris ?!
And this is becouse her government will allow criticism?!
Do you not see their attempts at shutting up the dissendants?! The constant lying of blinken- Harris...
How are they less facist right then trump ?!
And you don't even mention Gill stein, ....
And the only one playing the game of total war is Israel.
Iran clearly is doing everything it can to avoid one.
So what is wrong with you Comrade?!
What is wrong with you Comrade?!
You started off by equating the Israel - Hammas genocide to WW2 ?!
This is not Britain and Germany trying to starve each other.
This is a besieged population, after 75 years of ethnic cleansing. A population with no army or state. Facing genocide by one of the most brutal and well equipped armys in the world....
This is not a fair and honest comparison -
You say hypocrisy is better?! Is this what you mean ?!
Plain intellectual dishonesty?!
Reply to MG's post of August 11
You misunderstand Zizek's most fundamental point regarding the ultimate, most systemically powerful, historical-causative force. Namely the Capitalist World-System, its inherently conflictual nature, and the fact that these conflicts are themselves riven by multiple, overlapping conflicts.
Re-read the last paragraph above
"The sad conclusion is thus that Israel and Hamas/Iran, UK anti-immigrant racists and Muslim fanatics, they all play the same game: the game of total war which can only end in their mutual destruction, and which is a false conflict obfuscating the true cause of troubles, the dynamic of global capitalism."
For further detail see e.g. Immanuel Wallerstein and his school of World-Systems Analysis
https://iwallerstein.com/the-eagle-has-crash-landed/
https://1lib.sk/book/2516035/7ca36f/the-decline-of-american-power-the-us-in-a-chaotic-world.html
On the more specific question of Warfare, its nature and its causes in the modern world-system, Wallerstein can be usefully read alongside John Mearsheimer who speaks less about Capitalism (in fact barely at all) and more about "power" in the general, geo-political sense of the word as found in Realist IR Theory.
https://1lib.sk/book/3602764/954afb/the-great-delusion-liberal-dreams-and-international-realities.html
https://1lib.sk/book/2695472/42a565/the-tragedy-of-great-power-politics.html
https://1lib.sk/book/693552/04af83/the-israel-lobby-and-us-foreign-policy.html
Disappointed that this wasn't about the Total War series of videogames.
Žižek’s analysis is deeply flawed in one crucial respect: it fails to acknowledge the universal and persistent nature of antisemitism. By reducing the complex geopolitical and ideological tensions in the Middle East and beyond to merely symptoms of capitalist dynamics, Žižek overlooks the deep-seated and historical roots of antisemitism, which have long fueled animosity toward Israel and the Jewish people. Antisemitism was globalized even before globalization existed!
It is a lot to digest - so here ever bit of it for those who are interested: https://morethanleisure.substack.com/p/zizek-black-hole-of-truth-antisemitism
A Novel Idea on the Cause of War and why the past two centuries have witnessed the apogee of human slaughter, sadism and superfluous cruelty
https://davidgottfried.substack.com/p/the-ogre-of-an-issue-neglected-in
Humans worship war.
Every aspect and area of living we have turned into a battle!!
We fight over jobs, land space, social status. . .
But disguise it under the banner of "healthy competition"
Lmfao exactly why I'm abandoning so called "civilized" society.
It's nothing but a war zone. . . hidden behind fake smiles of "professionalism" and intellectualism.
Hilarious how it’s always Hamas/Iran, but never Israel/USA or U.S.-backed Israel.