Book review: Slavoj Zizek "First as a tragedy then as a farce"

 I just listened Zizek https://www.blinkist.com/first-as-tragedy-then-as-farce-en 

In the book he says

 1.the current communist regimes were not implemented correctly.

2. We must make a revolution and start from from the ground with a new society

3. All the benefits obtained from working class were obtained by revolution

4. Taking care of the proletariat, mean destroying it. He give the example of a refugee without papers, who once he got papers is no longer a refugee.

I will dismantle all the points.

1. During and after civil war, russian communists tried to implement the most radical ideas.

In the army they abolished the ranks, and all the attacks were decided by vote. After some defeats, Soviets fall back the old military hierarchical organization.

Reading books of Ilf and Petrov, you realize that people tried to make communism work. They implemented a car sharing club, they were thinking of getting rid of money.

Ilf and Petrov criticize very open the communist bureaucrats.

Till Stalin came they tried and failed to apply the most radical communist ideas.

2. In Soviet Union they wanted to erase religion, nationality to create a new world.

This will never work, because what we have now worked in the past. For example nationalism. In the past a group of people with similar cultural background, joined together and fought for a piece of land. They succeeded and their national identity survived till today.

Zizek is like the doctors in the '50 that considered food fiber useless because us not digested, and recommended to avoid it.

Now all doctors recommend fiber for improving gut biome and gut transit.

If a thing exists it exists for a reason. Instead of bulldozing the past, let's see how we can use it for the future.

3. He has some true here. Without unions and struggle, 8h work day, payed vacation, interdiction of child labor would come too late, if ever.

But employees of google didn't stormed the head quarters to get better pay and free food. This was triggered by demand for their labour.

State, unions and revolutionaries can improve things who have little bargaining power. 

4. Why he wants a strict class separation? 

If they could many proletarians would take the place of their bourgeoise bosses. 

Many people work because they have to.

Very few janitors come to work because they like it.

Class has meaning only from statistical point if view. If someone has an income greater than proletariat average, but lower than bourgeoisy where you put them?

Theory must follow practice. Not the way around. But tell this to communists

I don't understand the concept of capitalism.

Communists didn't explain it well.

In feudal period the property was inherited, get through marriage or got with sword in hand.

The property was usually indivisible land.

In modern capitalist period, propriety became gold, which could be divided and transfered.

Capitalism is based on existence of private property and its peacefull exchange for other proprities. 

The early merchants abhorred the medieval war lord, and they tried to placate them with laws enforced by a centralized state.

If the hero of the middle ages was the knight, the hero of modern capitalist period is the lawyer .

All the peaceful civil disobedience used now in a capitalist society wouldn't make sense in a lawless middle ages, where a lord can out your head on a spike.

So where the communists see power as the basis for capitalism?

If in a country the private property doesn't exist but it exists market economy ? We considered capitalist ?

First communists tried to abolish private property with the rifle (Lenin,Stalin,Mao,Pol Pot) now they want to use ideology to make us hand it over property voluntarily.

2021: the end of US republic ?

Rise of Caesar marked the end of roman republic.

Fear hat he would declare himself king determined the senators and patricians who wanted to maintain the status quo and roman republic to kill him in 44 BC.

They were the 'optimales' the elite, on the other side Caesar pretended to be a 'populares' a man of the people, to have the support of poor masses, despite being one of the elite and being related with all his enemies.

At the times the 'plebs' didn't believed anymore in the republic:

While citizens fought foreign wars patricians grab lands.

The only way for a roman man to go ahead is to be hired in the military.

The loyalty shifted from abstract republic to real pay given by general.

Is Donald Trump a Julius Caesar ?

No, but Trump could play the role of Caesar in actual crisis.

He is from the patrician elite of US, even he was acquittance with Clinton's  but is voted by poor. 

He handed out checks as the roman politicians handed out food and games.

He is respected and obeyed by his supporters as Caesar was respected by his troops.

Caesar had Alesia battle in which he was sieged from 2 sides by the gauls and won the battle. Trump survived attacks from BLM in the streets and Democrats in Congress but he survived.

Caesar crossed the Rubicon and arrived with armies in the City.

Trump made a meeting and a speech and his mob stormed the capitol.

Roman senators killed Caesar.

American senators could kill political career of Trump.

After death of Caesar a civil war broke out an Republic disappeared de facto.

What will happen after Trump is out of the picture ?

Well I am not optimistic.

Joe Biden repeats as a parrot what the BLM is saying.

BLM said they if they were black protestors, the police would have been tougher.

What they want ? If whites trashed Capitol. The black should be allowed also?

It is envy? They want also to destroy democracy as the Trump's supporters did it ?

Also Nancy Pelosi said something racist, that those who stormed Capitol didn't want to lose their whiteness.

Lack of real political competition, leaded to 2 parties ruled by very old people.

I mean what is presidency of US ? An Oscar for all carrier for politicians ?

Biden has 78 years of age and he is visible mentally impaired, Pelosi has 80 years, Mitch McConnel has 78. 

If you want to see strong animals go in the wild, if you want to see old animals go to the zoo.

American politics is more a zoo than a jungle ? I don't know.

In Africa where is lack of competition you see dictators like Robert Mugabe dying of old age in office.

In Europe where is more competition most of politicians are in their fifties and sixties.

Also in Europe you have at least 3 parties in competition and extremist are isolated de facto in small parties, kept away from power others.

Trump could be a Front National leader in France, or leader of Afd in Germany  but it would be harder for him to win the absolute power in a state.

But as Georg Carlin said "in US you 100 versions of bagels and 2 parties"

. 

2020: uncontrollable

 The year 2020 started with a pandemic caused by the desire of Chine Communist Party to control a virus.

They thought that controlling information and shutting town could tame the virus.

Later leaders of UK and US, Trump and Johnson gave us assurances that they controll the situation.

Now both countries have the higher cases in the western world.

In Minneapolis a cop pressed the knee on a afro-american to control him. He killed him and triggered the biggest riots since '60.

Now in January Trump didn't want to lose control of US and gathered a crowd and invited it to attack Washington DC Capitol. I don't know what he really wanted to do. He is insane. Maybe a coup ?

In US you can't. States have a lot of power.

The 2020 was ruined by the our leaders illusion that they can control life and by the trust we bestowed on them. 

We can't control nature, we can't control people.

The best is to prepare for the worse, and expect that things will go haywire.