I did agree with much of what he said in "Welcome to the Desert of the Real." I found the question "Does not this surprise reveal the rather sad fact that we, in the first world countries, find it more and more difficult even to imagine a public or universal Cause for which one would be ready to sacrifice one's life?" very interesting because in many other countries and some sets of belief, there are things that people would be willing to sacrifice their life for, whether it be their countries or their family etc. Although obviously not in wrong causes that hurt even one innocent person. What can be said for a person has not belief strong enough to fight for?
9/15/2014
Zizek Response
The video based on Zizek's four horsemen was profound and really demonstrated a feeling of uncertainty in the world. Zizek takes a different approach than Diaz on catastrophe by saying that humans should not blame themselves or blame ecology for Mother Nature being "a crazy bitch." Diaz on the other hand viewed all natural disasters as being man-made, almost like a red flag to show that a certain region has been neglected for too long. I do not agree with many of Zizek's beliefs because even if humans are not entirely responsible for catastrophes, the wastefulness that has become the culture of our societies could be reduced. However, belief that humans should love the world even for its imperfections is something to reflect upon.
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I find your comparison of Diaz and Zizek very interesting. It is so true that both authors had a different outlook on natural disasters and why they happen, but both had the same main point that humans have the responsibility to change our world. It is important to recognize that necessity of humans making an effort to work for the success of the world.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is very interesting that the two writers agree that humans have the responsibility to change the world but I believe that Zizek uses more plausible ideas to explain. While his ideas are radical, Zizek explains that ecology has more of an impact on today's world than other methods. Many people believe that economic actions affect the world in the most extreme ways when, as Zizek puts it, ecological changes affect the world the most and leads to the largest possibility of change.
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