9/15/14 - Tommaso Angelini

Going back to what Julia mentioned about how we as Americans live in a bubble, I too could really relate with what Zizek was saying in his piece Welcome to the Desert of the Real. I live in New York City, specifically Manhattan, and sometimes I wonder what would have happened if  I had stayed in the school that I attended for middle school - Columbia Prep. - for high school as well. My high school was in a completely different part of the city and attracted a whole new demographic, which I had very little experience interacting with on a daily basis. Being exposed to different cultures enabled me to gain a sense of cultural sensitivity that I probably would not have garnered had I not switched schools. This memory resonated through me as I progressed through this piece of writing. As Americans we fail to realize and understand what other countries go through on a daily basis. Throughout some parts of this piece, I thought that Zizek was slightly insensitive when it came to discussing 9/11, however, I do agree with his statement regarding how 9/11 was a traumatic event that significantly impacted the world and how we perceive things. Yet, some countries go through what we as Americans went through during 9/11 on a daily basis, and I think it is incredibly important that we as Amercians develop a degree of sensitivity to what other cultures and nations undergo. After reading this piece I was particularly impressed with how Zizek was able to manipulate the idea that Americans are incredibly isolated from the rest of the world even though we are in touch with so many other foreign countries and cultures.