Open Letter to Slavoj Zizek

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Open Letter to Slavoj Zizek

Postby havanagilla » Sat Jul 01, 2006 3:04 am

<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr><!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article4853.shtml" target="top">Open Letter to Slavoj Zizek</a><!--EZCODE LINK END-->Open Letter, PACBI, 27 June 2006<br><br> <br>Slavoj Zizek in an image from Ben Wright's film, "Slavoj Zizek - The Reality of the Virtual". <br><br>We at the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) have received with concern the news of your participation in the Jerusalem International Film Festival next month. Since a clear majority of Palestinian civil society has called upon international academics, artists, and intellectuals to boycott Israeli institutions due to their complicity in maintaining Israel's occupation and oppression of the Palestinian people, we strongly urge you to reconsider your participation in this event. At a time when the international movement to isolate Israel is gaining ground in response to the escalation of Israel's colonial and racist policies, we urge you-as a person of conscience--to reflect upon the ethical implications of your accepting an invitation to take part in a festival that not only enjoys the support of the Israeli establishment but is also part of Israeli efforts to appear as a "normal" participant in the "civilized world" of science, scholarship and art while at the same time practicing the most pernicious form of colonial control and racism against Palestinians.<br><br>We believe that participation of international academics and intellectuals in conferences, festivals, or similar events in Israel not explicitly dedicated to ending Israel's illegal occupation and other forms of oppression only enhances Israel's image as a center of learning and the arts, and contributes to the propagation of the untruth that scholarship and politics or art and politics should be kept separate and that business as usual need not be disturbed by the intrusion of "politics." We are certain that as a conscientious scholar you do not subscribe to such formulations that can only be construed as complicity with the status quo. Remaining silent in the face of injustice is not different from acquiescence to it, we are sure you will agree.<br><br>The Jerusalem Film Center, under whose auspices the Festival is held, describes itself as "a tribute to pluralism, dialogue, co-existence, cooperation and the quest for freedom." The idyllic description of the opening festivities of the 2005 Festival "in the shadow of the Old City Walls" is in flagrant disregard of the appalling political and social reality behind the ancient walls of occupied East Jerusalem or indeed behind the other, illegal, Wall that is engulfing Palestinian land, ghettoizing Palestinian Jerusalemites, and blocking the access of other Palestinians to their metropolis.<br><br>We wonder what the Festival's sponsors have done to condemn the occupation, the Wall, or the longstanding policies of exclusion, discrimination, and outright apartheid practiced by city planners, government agencies, and successive mayors of Jerusalem, the most notorious of whom was Teddy Kollek, a generous patron of the Center. You may not be aware that the Jerusalem Film Festival receives the ongoing support of the Israeli Ministry of Education and Culture, as well as the Jerusalem Municipality and the office of the mayor. All of these institutions are key nodes in the structures maintaining the colonization of East Jerusalem. Once the Jerusalem Film Festival denounces the Wall and Israeli policies in Jerusalem and declares that no "coexistence" can flourish under apartheid, and once it severs its links to the centers of state power, then it will have taken a courageous step and joined the real civilized world that believes that "coexistence" in the shadow of occupation is not possible and that the "quest for freedom" requires taking a firm stand for equality and against oppression.<br><br>As a conscientious scholar, you are acutely aware that Israel has flaunted international law for several decades. Since the hegemonic world powers are active agents in acquiescence to Israel's colonial and other oppressive policies, we believe that the only avenue left open to achieving justice for Palestinians is sustained work on the part of Palestinian and international activists for justice to put pressure on Israel to end this oppression. Given the grave circumstances in which Palestinians find themselves at this juncture, we believe that a campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) is the most morally and politically sound way to achieve this. You may be interested to know that in July 2005, the first anniversary of the International Court of Justice's ruling on the illegality of the Wall and the occupation regime, more than 170 Palestinian civil society unions and organizations issued the Call for BDS as a non-violent form of resisting Israel's oppression. The Call issued by PACBI for academic and cultural boycott of Israel has also received widespread support from federations of academics, professionals, writers and artists, and from civil society organizations in Palestine. <br><br>We hope that you will not grant legitimacy to oppression by participating in this Festival, no matter how laudable the film you will be speaking about there is. Your mere presence at the Festival will give solace to the centers of power bent on giving a beautiful face to an ugly reality.<br><br>Yours sincerely,<br><br>Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel<br><br><br>The Palestinian Call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) is endorsed by over 170 Palestinian union, association and other civil society organization. The Call and the list of signatories can be found at: <br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.pacbi.org/boycott_news_more.php?id=66_0_1_10_M11">www.pacbi.org/boycott_new...0_1_10_M11</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br><br>Related Links<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br><br><br>Very good letter, sums up my dilema about arts/war situations.<br>and related to my thoughts in the Gaza thread, re the German sponsorship of Israeli and Palestinian art in our region, rather than applying those funds to ending the war, OR, to be more precise, stopping the huge funding for the war machine. <br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>the centers of power bent on giving a beautiful face to an ugly reality.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> - good description of the situation. and who are the puppets in the masquarade ?? <br>--<br> <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=havanagilla>havanagilla</A> at: 7/1/06 1:08 am<br></i>
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art and politics

Postby LoganSquare » Sat Jul 01, 2006 12:48 pm

You want Zizek to pass up a week of movies and popcorn in the actual "Desert of the Real"?<br><br>One thing you can say for the "obscene truth of multinational capitalism" is that it makes for engaging entertainment.<br><br>Is he not just another 100K/year Marxist univ. prof?<br><br><br> <p></p><i></i>
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Re: art and politics

Postby bvonahsen » Sat Jul 01, 2006 3:04 pm

<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>You want Zizek to pass up a week of movies and popcorn in the actual "Desert of the Real"?<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br><br>As opposed the fake "Desert of the Real"? I think you have greatly misunderstood what he wrote. Might want to try reading it again. <br><br>I don't think that just because someone makes more than I do, and as an aside 100K is petty change these days, nor does it matter much to me that he's a Marxist. Marxism or Capitalism can both be pushed to extremes as the United States' fetish for capital pushes it ever closer to fascism. There has to be a balance between two. Between the interests of capital and society. But balance is the one thing these times lack. <p></p><i></i>
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Re: art and politics

Postby havanagilla » Sat Jul 01, 2006 4:16 pm

<!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=16287877">profile.myspace.com/index...d=16287877</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>his blog FYI <p></p><i></i>
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Re: art and politics

Postby bvonahsen » Sat Jul 01, 2006 6:40 pm

I didn't know he was on MySpace, seems like everyone is these days. I know him through <!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://www.lacan.com/frameziz.htm" target="top">Lacanian ink.</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--><br><br><!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://www.lacan.com/desertsymf.htm" target="top">"The Desert of the Real"</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--> is one of his more influential articles <p></p><i></i>
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Re: art and politics

Postby havanagilla » Sat Jul 01, 2006 6:56 pm

A nice blog actually, kind of non pretentious, if you think who he is...<br>--<br>He writes a lot about antisemitism and racism and I like his notion that the main underlying motivation of racism is the fear of the "other's" <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>enjoyment</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->. or form of enjoyment. it breaks the usual thought form about racism. then he goes on to show how the group develops a fear from the "other's" ability to steal its enjoyment, etc. very nice metaphors. I read some of this observations about the USA, and I liked it, very critical on the one hand but recognizing this is still the most "developed" national entity. I have to agree.<br>---<br>He already visited israel, and lectured here. He is certainly a cultural "guru" here amonst the 'elite' intellectuals. some of his books are already published in Hebrew as well. <br>--<br>I am not sure that I support the boycot in his case, because his presence here supports the 2 israeli left wing activists who are still around...<br><br>You cannot imagine the level of pressure on people here to conform to the "party line" of nationalism and capitalism. (today, an interesting slip of the tongue by a senior economic journalist of haaretz, who was interviewed in another paper. She said, VERBATIM, that those who deny that economy (as in corporate capitalism neo liberal) is a science are EQUALL to holocaust deniers...lo and behold ! <br><br>So now, not only dovish politics (re the palestinians) is herecy, but also challenging capitalism, or rather its new raw and barbaric form, is "holocaust denial" here. I realized it today, more vividly, that if I am doomed to stay here no use "committing a suicide" and holding to my views. its time to salute generals, and gracefully bow when the pass your way. <p></p><i></i>
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fake desert of the real

Postby LoganSquare » Sat Jul 01, 2006 8:25 pm

<br>As to fake vs actual desert of the real (the ruined desolation described by Morpheus in "Matrix" from which Zizek titles his book, I would say the fake desert is the one on the screen and the real one is the one outside the theater. <br><br>I don't care if he's a Marxist or whatever--but don't you think it's a little ironic if not surreal for a philosopher to be sitting in a theater watching movies in Jerusalem especially in the context of what's going on right now?<br><br>Is that not the blue pill option or am I misreading the Matrix as well. <p></p><i></i>
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misreading zizek

Postby LoganSquare » Sat Jul 01, 2006 9:52 pm

<br>Bvonahsen:<br><br>As for misreading Zizek--(and I may have) my recollection is that he regarded the attack on WTC as perpetrated by muslim fundamentalists and can be seen as payback for all the violence and destruction capitalism has brought to the world. <br><br>To me this is a form of Bush's "they hate us for what we have" line. In this vein, I remember also that in the Desert of the Real, Zizek accepted uncritically the story about the heroes of Flight 93 storming the cabin and crashing the plane.<br><br>He's obviously a smart guy, but maybe he watches too many movies.<br><br>What is your interpretation and how have I misread him?<br><br><br> <p></p><i></i>
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Re: german conspiracy via art sponsorship in "our regio

Postby havanagilla » Mon Jul 03, 2006 3:48 am

<!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.coexistence.art.museum/eng/main.htm">www.coexistence.art.museum/eng/main.htm</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>was just looking around and here it is, a typical german sponsorship of a "coexistence" museam in jerusalem, no added words needed. just browse the website.<br><br>isn't it hillarious that we, of all nations, are allowing the germans to become the patrons of "pluralism and tolerance to the other", at the expense of truth ? surely, co opting art, and funding both palestinians and israelis art, is sooooo german and sooo sophisticated, certainly a EURO well spent.<br><br>--<br>The museum was a subject of public criticism for choosing its builing in a previously arab neighborhood (its an arab house) that was taken by israel. The museum responded that this was intentional as in not avoiding the conflict but "working from its realities", ehem...and tomorrow - a cartoon and comics workshop in Bergen belzen...<br>-<br>Apropos comics, did anyone notice the new world order of encouraging comics as replacement of social and political radicalism ? we certainly have it here, courtesy of...deutchland uber alles and the US as well. <br><br>--<br>The prostition of art. and lastly, did anyone read the conspiracy of art by bauderillard (sp?)_ ? <p></p><i></i>
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German (or Nazi?) conspiracy via art sponsorship

Postby LoganSquare » Mon Jul 03, 2006 11:24 am

von Holtzbrinck, who funded the museum you mention was apparently at Nazi: <br><br>from (<!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/10347/edition_id/198/format/html/displaystory.html)">www.jewishsf.com/content/...tory.html)</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>Friday January 15, 1999<br><br>MARILYN H. KARFELD<br>The Cleveland Jewish News<br><br>excerpt:<br>....<br><br>Holtzbrinck, like Bertelsmann, is proud of its history. Holtzbrinck claimed it was "almost a member of the Resistance" and was stripped by the Nazis of its license to publish, according to an article published in the June 1998 issue of Vanity Fair.<br><br>The magazine reported, however, that Georg von Holtzbrinck was a member of the Nazi Party since 1933, and throughout the war operated several profitable publishing companies and published Nazi-sanctioned magazines.<br> <br>Dave Emory has something to say about von Holtzbrinck as well:<br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.spitfirelist.com/f177.html">www.spitfirelist.com/f177.html</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br> <p></p><i></i>
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Re: German (or Nazi?) conspiracy via art sponsorship

Postby havanagilla » Mon Jul 03, 2006 11:50 am

<!--EZCODE UNDERLINE START--><span style="text-decoration:underline"><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>THANKS !</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--></span><!--EZCODE UNDERLINE END-->It is possible that the publication in cleveland jewish news, was a precursor to a "milking" operation which ended in the donation to create the museum. Namely, the publication prompted the guy to say yes to some "grant application" by the Israeli founder of this museum (submitted coincidently at the same week of the publicatoin, if you know what I mean). This would be IN LINE with the israeli MO, re "how to squeeze a few more bucks from the nazis/germany". (I wonder how come they don't have a full B.A program here on the subject "Studies of German Guilt Gelt".) Anyway, it is also chilling to make the guy create a "correctional" museum, namely, pluralism etc. I find it tasteLESS, but some may think it is very clever. <br>--<br>The reason I oppose it is not solely ethical (yikes, ethics in politics), but practical. based on my personal experience with German official business, I found them to be very sophisticated and not suckers, so they might "go along" with some extortion, and wait patiently until they can shove the poison down the throat of the recipients. these are people who are by far more sophisticated than the israelis. The nation that brought "gas<!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong> showers"</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> to the world, is not to be belittled in any way. <br>--<br>Since basicaly the germans have the same colonial interests in the continued conflict between two races they deem subservient to their superior western society, their "peace efforts" are very suspect, much like those of the USA. They are much more concerned with the PR of their weapons and submarines, than with "co existence" (god forbid, in their terms, that the Israelis and the arabs cooperate...not something to be welcome by the western powers here).<br><br><br>Briefly stated, the issue is "how many euros, invested WISELY in israeli, will buy you exoneration and a "new past" from you NAzi stains ? <p></p><i></i>
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German guilt

Postby LoganSquare » Mon Jul 03, 2006 6:40 pm

<br>If that's the case--Holtzbrinck corp. feeling guilty about its past and supporting the gallery--that's a nice story--good for Raphie.<br><br>It's kind of hard to believe though isn't it? <br><br><br> <p></p><i></i>
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Re: German guilt/Israeli laundering

Postby havanagilla » Mon Jul 03, 2006 7:12 pm

well, the year of the publication is the same as the decision to start the museum...<br>why is it unbelievable ? how do you think it is otherwise dealt with? I mean, surely you don't think Israel is beyond doing that, or what. <br>That's the normal relations bn the two nations post WW2, and I am starting to think it was the basic pattern bn the two nations before that as well. ("laundering" rich guys' reputations for ransom). I don't find that at all implausible, I also think it is reasonable, EXCEPT in the case of Nazis. They don't actually change their belief system, and this belief system is incurable and uncontainable, IMHO< should be treated as a dangerous Ebola and confined. <br>----<br>Personally, i find it quite disturbing that the philantropic portfolio of germany in the region (on top of nuclear submarines) is art, coexistence and human rights...I mean give me a break, next they'll set up a "medical ethics museum in memory of Mengele?" <br>This reminds me of the Adnan Hashougi Center for HUman rights in American University, well, it wasn't that bad, it was only a Hashougi library, i added the rest. But this is bad enough . <br> <p></p><i></i>
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Zizek's blog

Postby zjurhgvc » Mon Jul 03, 2006 11:21 pm

Ummm...Deleuze, Foucault, Derrida, et al. have blogs on MySpace. They're all fake, because they're all dead. Most likely too-clever grad students. <p></p><i></i>
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German guilt/Israeli laundering

Postby LoganSquare » Mon Jul 03, 2006 11:28 pm

To me what's hard to believe is that the gallery promoters could intimidate such a large concern. Surely their Nazi past was well known (although they start their corporate history at 1948 on their website).<br><br>The media outlets they own that l checked are liberal--Fischer Verlag, Die Zeit, St. Martin's Press.<br><br>Maybe it's a case of simple opportunism--it was convenient and profitable to be a Nazi in 38 and convenient and profitable to be a democratic liberal in 48.<br><br>I guess the last thing I would believe is that they developed a conscience.<br><br>Maybe it's similar to the oss/cia cooption of leftist cultural celebrities and publications.<br><br>There's a good book on that project or operation or whatever it was but I can't think of the title.<br> <p></p><i></i>
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