On this occasion, though, Žižek's response was serious. In speaking of a communist "we," he explained, he was not evoking an already existing political subject, let alone an inherently revolutionary sociological class. Rather, the use of "we" could best be understood as a speech act or a performative utterance – that is, as one of those utterances identified by the philosopher of language JL Austin that do not describe an existing reality but instead produce a new one. Just as statements like "I do" or "You're fired!" are themselves actions, transforming rather than describing a situation, Žižek said he hoped the act of evoking a communist "we" would contribute to bringing a collective subject into existence.
Adbuster - Awakening the giant
The Dollar Vigilante
we have fallen victim to one of our own cardinal sins; letting somebody else control the thoughts by controlling the definition of the words used to define those thoughts. To make matters worse, by default, we have relegated the responsibility of defining those words to two of the most criminally complicit estates in our society, namely the educational system and mass media.
Fascism For Dummies
Gene Hackman
When Hackman was 13, his father abandoned the family. Hackman was out in the street, playing. His father passed him by, just giving a wave of his hand. "I hadn't realized how much one small gesture can mean," he once said, looking back on it. "Maybe that's why I became an actor."
Eighty-one Years. Seventy-nine Movies. Two Oscars. Not One Bad Performance.
Gary Shteyngart
I remember when I was a kid, and somebody snuck in a People magazine with Brooke Shields decolletage showing, and we were just stunned by it, and it fueled our fantasies for so long. But our fantasies were mostly about how much we wanted to just get a nice hug from Ms. Shields.
Finding Love In A Dismal Future
C. L'Hirondelle
The unemployed have a very important job: they are a safety net for the wealthy.
Livable Income For All
Quintilius (35-100)
In the midst of crowds, therefore, on a journey, and even at festive meetings, let thought secure for herself privacy.
Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)
The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd; indeed in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a widespread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible.
Burton Rascoe (1892-1957)
What no wife of a writer can ever understand is that a writer is working when he's staring out of the window.
Gwyneth Lewis
When Mary Magdalene was exorcised by Christ, it’s said that seven demons came out of her. Much of what the past called evil spirits we now recognise as the symptoms of mental illness. Mary Magdalene’s ‘fixed ideas’ were her ghosts and Christ, like a psychiatrist, freed her from them.
Sunbathing in the Rain (p83, 84)
The Last Psychiatrist is a bottomless pool of terrific quotes. I have already referenced "You are being lied to, by yourself" from The Abusive Boyfriend. Here are a couple more:
Can you be vaguely dissatisfied, unfulfilled and possibly even resentful of your marriage, yet fake it enough that your spouse thinks you love them more than anything? So why do you think you can fool your 8 year old? Because he's 8? He smells it on you, it reeks, like sepsis. And yes, it will spread to him eventually.
Why Parents Hate Parenting
You don't get to say who you are, your behavior speaks for you.I might just add, My fiancee is pushing me away and I've lost hope, is probably one of the best things I will read in a long time.
Tiger Woods Part II