Armin Medosch on Sat, 12 Feb 2000 18:15:54 +0100 (CET)


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<nettime> Re: sorry Mr. zizek


Sorry Mr. Zizek,
but your article
> WHY DO WE ALL LOVE TO HATE HAIDER?

is wrong in its basic approach and displays a lot of sloppy thinking. 
First of all, the argument, that Haider so conveniently unites the left,
is a non-argument. Of course he does. To state this fact is an argument of
the "so-what" kind. So what? Should we be ashamed now that we have not
found a better enemy? With your statement you are just pulling the wool
over our eyes. You are concealing the fact, that a participation of the
FPOE in the Austrian government is going to make things worse for a lot of
people not just in Austria but also elsewhere. This is reality, it is not
just about some shiftings in the symbolic sphere about left-right
policies. If this government in Austria will not crack soon (which I hope
it does) it will have a severe influence on the cultural climate (and the
lifes of many people) in Austria and other countries. So far about your
general line of argumentation. It is crap. Sorry to say that, but you did
not say anything useful.

But also in the details you display some sloppyness (or is it more?)  that
astonishes me.

> It is absolutely crucial that the new Rightist populists are the only
> "serious" political force today which addresses the people with the
> anti-capitalist rhetorics, although coated in nationalist/racist/religious
> clothing (multinational corporations who "betray" the common decent
> working people of our nation). 

You know, maybe it is the other way round. Maybe Haider and his people
stand for nationalist-racist-religious ideologems, which are "coated" in
an anti-capitalist rhethorics. For me, this is the most revealing
paragraph of your whole article. Cant you understand, that they are
actually racist and nationalist (not religious, by the way) and not really
anti-capitalist at all. In fact, what they are promoting, is a kind of
yuppie-fascism (admittedly I picked up that term from english papers).
They are very very capitalist, thatcherite, reaganite in their
political-economics. It really disappoints me, that you dont seem to
understand that. this is as if you believed their election campaign. as if
they were really caring for "little people". Sorry again, but this is
apologism for Haider, what you have written here. Maybe you are just
misinformed or maybe you dont have anything to say on this matter. Then
you just should have kept your mouth shut up and still would have looked
intelligent. I must apologize one more time. because so far I valued you
highly as an interesting and important thinker. And I want to add that I
have no personal vendetta with you. But this article of yours is
outrageously and scandalously stupid. 


yours armin


 




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