TRAGEDY THEN FARCE

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Tragedy Then Farce is focused on constructively battling the illnesses our age through creativity, curiosity, and communication. If you want any higher quality copies of my photographs to download, just let me know and I'd be happy to oblige. Welcome.

A Philosophy and Photography Blog

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Thursday, March 31, 2011

A Žižekian Rant

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpAMbpQ8J7g (An informative but not necessarily related video)

Slovanian contemporary philosopher Slavoj Zizek has made a particularly interesting insight into the hypocratic, sugar coated, irrational, and absurd mode in which our society, dominated by and manifested out of capitalism and neo-liberal policy, operates.


When making a decision, for example, of where to invest, a person doesn't pick a stock or a firm or a trend to ride based on its value. Rather, it is very much like asking a man to pick a picture of the most beautiful girl out of a page of 100 pictures, every girl a knockout stunner. The man's investment prospers in only one certain condition.

It doesn't happen to those who pick the women who is the most beautiful to them.
Nor will the one succeed who picks the actual average beauty pick, had all men actually chosen their favorites.

Rather, the winner is three steps removed: We have developed an economic system that rewards those choices that are made on picking what everyone thinks everyone thinks is the average. Rather than cold, calculated, analytic stock margins, we now see a picture where shockingly human factors like crisis, insecurity, and faith come into play.

Just something to chew on as we chew our planet into muck in the name of this unsustainable system.

45 comments:

  1. Wow, my friend has the exact same mentality as you

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  2. philosophic! Love to read this stuff, following you.

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  3. I'm diggin all the info! I'm following ya!

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  4. Three parts removed indeed. No wonder some compared investing in stocks to legalized gambling.

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  5. I'd actually call it neo-pseudo-liberalism and neo-pseudo-capitalism. Let me explain myself in 4 easy steps.
    1) Why neoliberalism? It's not what used to be called liberalism.
    2) Why psuedoliberalism? It's not liberalism, like people call it nowadays. People buy stocks, they think others would buy. They're not free, they are enslaved by general opinion.
    3) Why neocapitalism? It's not what used to be called capitalism.
    4) Why pseudo? It's not capitalism. People buy stocks, they think other think are the best, not stocks that are actually the best or they think it's the best. Lost? You don't think for yourself, but for others. It's not capitalism

    This makes it neopseudoliberalism and neopseudocapitalism.

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  6. The slovene is a bright mind in nowadays obscure world.

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  7. Good post. Makes my blog seem rather immature as I decided to focus todays blog on the fact it is National Cleavage Day!..oh well..followed you anyway to try to feel more intelligent

    http://hyperpringle.blogspot.com

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  8. I like this post and I'm glad people think this way. Our economy is balanced on a very thin thread above a flame.

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  9. Investing is difficult, but it's one of the best ways to make money.

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  10. Great post man, keep them coming!

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  11. Nah, the life is wath you make it to..

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  12. Damn, good philosophical subject. Wish I took a few more PHI classes at university, lol.

    I look forward to more of your posts.

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  13. Sure man, this whole thing is messed up. But it's true when you think about it.

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  14. Certainly something to think about.

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  15. As George Carlin has said, the planet is fiiiine.

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  16. If everyone traded stocks without emotion it would be a child's game.

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  17. interesting good brain food following for more

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  18. this is an interesting point of view

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  19. I like Slavoj Zizek, hes a smart guy. Followed for more :)

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  20. Wow I wasn't expecting such philosophic post.

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  21. great post, it leaves me with a lot to think about

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  22. that is indeed the present logic used by many systems today. good post.

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  23. Oh wow...
    Very deep and philosophic. Made me think.

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  24. Interesting... can't say I fully agree with this concept. I mean, when looking at stocks as an example, this does apply, as what you believe others will believe and buy into is going to affect your decision, just as it affects the value of what you're working with. But... there is more too it than that.
    Either way though, an interesting look at it, curious to hear more.

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  25. You had me at beautiful women =D

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  26. this is deep, but a very good post. I like your blog man!

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  27. Very nice post, I think I'll be following you from now on, I could learn a lot!

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  28. Very good post.

    Followed.
    bigunicorn.blogspot.com

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  29. well written and very enjoyable, great post that makes you think, thanks

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  30. I love posts that make you think, cool stuff

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  31. Humans are stupid. Sadly it was kinda start to smart assuming humans are stupid and factor that into things.

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