NP Zizek re horror movies; le Carr� re American insanity

[pynchonoid]

<http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=251684>
Disaster movies as the last remnants of Utopia
Philosopher and cultural gadfly Slavoj Zizek, on a
mini-lecture tour, talks to Ha'aretz 
By Noam Yuran

" [...] Zizek's point is not to isolate a dimension of
fantasy in reality - on the contrary, Zizek poses the
question of where reality is to be found in a universe
of film and fiction. [...] 

What are disaster films really about? Why do Americans
fantasize about the destruction of life? 

'I don't have a simple answer to that. I can try to
give a few answers. Isn't the same thing true of love
affairs - in order to really enjoy them, they have to
be conducted under a threat that they might disappear?
In psychological language we can hypothesize that deep
down the Americans feel some sort of guilt - about
being on the top, and enjoying life so much. 

'One other thing interests me. Unlike other peoples
who have long-standing traditions and with whom there
is a suspicion that if you scratch below the surface,
you will discover the old traditions, [people] who
face the problem of having to deal with these
traditions. The American vision is completely
different - this is a vision in which order is not
something with deep roots. It is instead superficial
and fragile. Something is liable to happen at any
moment; a small disaster might dismantle the social
order. ' [...] "


...this one's worth reading, too:

<http://www.timesonline.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,1-152-543296,00.html>
January 15, 2003 
The United States of America has gone mad
John le Carré

[...] How Bush and his junta succeeded in deflecting
America’s anger from bin Laden to Saddam Hussein is
one of the great public relations conjuring tricks of
history. But they swung it. A recent poll tells us
that one in two Americans now believe Saddam was
responsible for the attack on the World Trade Centre.
But the American public is not merely being misled. It
is being browbeaten and kept in a state of ignorance
and fear. The carefully orchestrated neurosis should
carry Bush and his fellow conspirators nicely into the
next election. [...] 

“But will we win, Daddy?” 

“Of course, child. It will all be over while you’re
still in bed.” 

“Why?” 

“Because otherwise Mr Bush’s voters will get terribly
impatient and may decide not to vote for him.” 

“But will people be killed, Daddy?” 

“Nobody you know, darling. Just foreign people.” 

“Can I watch it on television?” 

“Only if Mr Bush says you can.” 

“And afterwards, will everything be normal again?
Nobody will do anything horrid any more?” 

“Hush child, and go to sleep.” 


... enjoy!

-Doug





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