On Slavoj Zizek

I own almost every book Slavoj Zizek has published. He is enormously entertaining to read and, thanks to YouTube, to watch. He does have a habit of wiping his nose with his hand then running his fingers through his hair (which is disgusting) but the energy with which he makes his arguments is fun and a welcome change from the dry-as-dust world of professional academia. I have several problems with him tho.

First, his books don't have conclusions. He doesn't make arguments so much as point out interesting things. Essentially, the difference between this blog and Zizek is the speech impediment. And Zizek is wittier than I am. Smarter too. But, as this is a collection of essentially unrelated ideas, so Zizek's books.

Second, he is the undisputed King of ctrl-c ctrl-v. Substantial sections of new books are taken verbatim from earlier ones. This is not just a matter of authorial laziness but it indicates his thought has not progressed all that much between the books. The obvious question is then, if his thought has neither advanced nor changed, why the new book?

Third, Zizek is the academy's most unrepentant Capitalist. This might seem an odd accusation against a self-avowed and dedicated Communist but it is true. Take, for example, the series of books published as Slavoj Zizek Presents... I own all of these by the way. Each is a collection of excerpts from divisive historical figures (Mao, Lenin, Robespierre) prefaced by an introduction by Zizek. He could have published all three introductions as self-contained essays but the essay market doesn't amount to much. Instead, Zizek has used the power of his brand to publish other people's product and make money doing it - while increasing the power of his personal brand.

Zizek is a publishing machine. Books drop from him like fruit from a tree. Of course, some of them are other author's work and all are partially composed of things he has already published but each one sells.

With his cornucopia of published work and his trade mark t-shirt, Zizek has built himself into an icon. His academic bona fides matter less than his fame. Yet, he does hold numerous professorships at the same time and without making a dent in his public appearance schedule.

I watched an interview with Dave Stewart. He said, "Flaunt your imperfections and you'll be a star, my dear." I wonder if Zizek saw this. His pronouncements about subjects as various as love and gardening are nothing more than publicity for his personal neuroses. His appearance - fat, slovenly, unkempt, the ubiquitous t-shirt - is both branding and claim to a place in the public consciousness.

If, after reading this, you think I dislike, or disapprove of Zizek you would be wrong. No matter how obvious his schtick gets, or how disgusting the t-shirts become, I will forgive almost anything because he is entertaining and thought provoking. His critique of Kung-Fu Panda is relevant. He likes the movie because while invoking and mocking all the conventions of both kung-fu movies and the Western mythology of China, it ultimately affirms precisely what it mocks. And it's funny and fun. This is Zizek to me. A Marxist academic who is mocks Capitalism while making money hand over fist. The very image of a radical scholar who is neither radical nor much of a scholar - this really deserves a foot note because Zizek's brand building makes it very difficult to ascertain how much of a scholar he is. His dissertation, for example, is the one thing he has never published as far as I know. Yet, like Kung-Fu Panda he is funny and fun.

I imagine a lot of young kids started learning kung fu (or karate or whatever) because they loved Kung-Fu Panda. Maybe a lot of slightly older kids will start read Marx because they loved Slavoj Zizek. Or maybe they'll read Lacan. Either way, not a bad outcome for an entertainer.