"In the same way that (market) freedom is unfreedom for those who sell their labor-power, in the same way that the family is undermined by the bourgeouis family as legalized prostitution, democracy is undermined by the parliamentary form with its concomitant passivization of the large majority, as well as by the growing executive power implied by the increasingly influential logic of the emergency state."
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One of the foundations of any political perspective is the recognition that living in a society (having politics) is by definition a limitation on freedom. The question then becomes how we maximize the potential benefits of living in society while limiting its detrimental effect on liberty. Even Rousseau recognized that running around in a state of nature in the woods was no longer an option even if being robbed of that state was a tragedy and the “original sin.”
It is fine for Zizek and other followers of the Marxist tradition to take their shots at free markets and marriage. As someone who believes in both of these things, I fully admit that Zizek is right, these things do limit freedom. The question then becomes do we have a better option, something that maximizes freedom beyond simply singing a John Lennon song. Zizek is right, but it is beside the point. The only question here that is meaningful is whether there are alternatives.
In no way is Zizek against family. He is against family as a form of legalized prostitution. In no way is he against society. He is against the kind of society that pretends to be a democracy but in reality offers no choice. In the US today the Republicans and the Democrats offer no legitimate poltitical choice. We keep pretending that there is a choice and call this desperate self-delusin democracy.
Great he is against family as prostitution and a society that does not offer choices. Last I checked President Bush was against failing schools. None of this means anything, unless you can outline a specific plan to improve things and have the intellectual honesty to acknowledge the sacrifices that will have to be made for your solution.
As to creating a family that is not legalized prostitution, that's very easy and we don't really need Zizek to tell us how to achieve that. :-) As for the rest, you are welcome to read his book, or my review of it when I come back from spring break. :-)
And of course Bush had a plan and implemented it with a military precision. Destroying schools was obviously part of his plan.
I share your enthusiasm for Žižek. If interested, here's a tag filter for my posts on and relating to his work.
I feel a tad stupid for having to reread this one paragraph several times and still not 'getting' what he's saying...
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