Class Struggle as Universal Antagonism
The assumption that class struggle is the primary or natural hegemonic force, which Laclau rejects in favor of contingent unification of struggles.
In his words 3
“equality of fucking what?”16:01 Optimism or Pessimism? | Slavoj Žižek Meets Yanis Varoufakis on the Future (Part 4) · against empty egalitarianism
“the culture war raging in the developed west now, in the states, in europe, is a false war, a war between two versions of the same global capitalist system.”56:34 Why Do We Enjoy Feeling Ashamed · culture war as displaced class struggle within capitalism
“Precisely this contingency and non-contemporaneity of historical development. Yes there are phases but sometimes contradictions get condensed in one situation.”18:44 Slavoj Zizek: Lenin Was a Radical Opportunist · condensation of contradictions as the revolutionary opening
The stories that teach it
the jokes and anecdotes he reaches for when he works in this idea, ranked by how many of its talks they turn up in; each card is one story, with every retelling on its page
Bolivia and Álvaro García Linera
García Linera told Žižek that organizing 'the multitude' via tribal connections in Bolivia resulted in corruption and tribal bosses seeking enrichment, proving that 'zero level of politicization' without state alienation is an illusion.
Syriza and 56 Years Ago
Žižek argues Syriza's demands were merely moderate social democracy from 56 years ago, yet are perceived as 'radical' today, illustrating how global capitalism has shifted so far right that basic welfare is intolerable.
V for Vendetta morning after
In the final scene of V for Vendetta thousands of unarmed Londoners march on parliament and the people take over; Žižek says he would sell his mother into slavery to see Part 2, what happens the day after the victory.
Lenin's Wife and Mistress
Žižek notes Lenin’s specific term for the woman helping in the kitchen, which he uses to pivot to Lenin’s vision of post-revolutionary polite communication.
Niels Bohr's horseshoe
Niels Bohr had a horseshoe on his country-house door; when a scientist friend asked why a scientist would keep a superstitious charm, Bohr answered 'I was told it works even if you don't believe in it', Žižek's model for ideology today.
Viking horned helmets invented for Wagner
The iconic Viking helmet with horns was never archaeologically found; it was invented for early stagings of Wagner's operas and then retroactively attributed to actual Vikings, a case of ideology creating its own historical past.
Where it comes up 48
52 moments located in the transcripts, click a timestamp to play from there