Response to Slavoj Žižek

Slavoj Žižek makes some very interesting points in his writings and even though I don't agree with all of his points, some of his points caused me to reflect upon my own preconceived ideas. One such point was in his article Wake up and smell the apocalypse, in this article Žižek refers to apocalypses as revelations and not catastrophe. This is the second time I have come across this, first with Junot Diaz's writing's and now with Žižek's. I always thought about apocalypses as negative catastrophes with no positive attributes or revelations attached to them. However this isn't always the case, Žižek mentions that often times apocalypses yield positive consequences or information that can help future generations avoid more disasters or be better prepared. Another point that Žižek made which really stuck with me was regarding America's self obsessed bubble and the 9-11 attacks. I do agree that often times America is quite closed off and not aware of the problems occurring in other countries but I think it was wrong of Žižek to talk about the 9-11 attacks in the manner he did. He compared this infamous event to some movies and TV series and said "America got what it fantasized about," which I don't think is the best way to phrase what he was trying to say. However, I do agree that we all should change our attitudes and start to pay more attention to the outside world and not just to ourselves, even though that is needed sometimes. We need to change ourselves to make sure we can help and change others.