Žižek: Gaza, blackout and disaster by facts made

krytykapolityczna.pl 1 month ago

On May 1, I flashed a typical message on the main page of modern media: known war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu announced in Israel “emergency“ and ordered a military intervention. But where? Against who? Did any “terrorists” attack the country again?

Surprise: it was something completely different. As it turns out, Israel has been fighting the most serious plant fires in a decade. Firemen conflict to control the spreading fire from which respective twelve people have suffered. Even the suburbs of Jerusalem are threatened by resin.

The exceptionality of these reports is that the territory seized by Israel in connection with the ongoing genocide in Gaza and cultural cleansing in the West Bank of Jordan has been affected by a disaster that is already taking place worldwide: a combination of environmental crises.

Let us callback a fresh case: on Monday, April 28th, the full Iberian Peninsula (the territory of Spain and Portugal), and in the confederate part of France, there was a giant failure of the electricity grid. Passengers are stuck in trains and elevators, millions of people have lost telephone and net coverage, stopped the traffic lights, causing immense traffic and so on. A day later, erstwhile the power was almost full restored, questions arose: how is it possible that an accident of about 60 million people is so easy affected? What caused it?

First, there were rumors of unexpected heat fluctuations. Soon, however, the Spanish network operator Red Eléctrica and a spokesperson for the Portuguese government rejected theories about cyber attack, human mistake or the impact of the weather phenomenon. Presumed Rather, the failure caused a abrupt disconnect of 2 power plants in the south-west of the peninsula.

Three days later, erstwhile I compose these words, there is inactive no clear answer. It could take months to get to her. But it is worth remembering the reaction of the fresh populist right: it blames the phenomenon of "green madness" – in itself. The right is so convinced that the electricity grid was overloaded as a consequence of a "green obsession" on the point of powering cars with electricity alternatively than kerosene derivatives.

The most crucial question is: can a akin failure be prevented, so that it can never happen again on a akin or even larger scale? The answer must be clear and unambiguous: no. This is due not only to external factors beyond human control (type: a large asteroid hits the ground) or unforeseen effects of human activity, but besides to our expanding common communication.

Eyjafjallajökull volcano eruption in Iceland in 2010 caused concerns that volcanic ash would harm aircraft engines – and for this reason the airspace of most European countries was closed. It was at that time the most extended disruption of air traffic since the Second planet War. millions of passengers have been disabled not only in Europe but besides worldwide. And since a large part of European airspace has been closed, the problem has spread to many another countries due to the fact that flights to and from Europe have been cancelled.

The fact that a cloud of dust from a slight volcanic eruption in Iceland – a slight disturbance in the complex mechanics of life on Earth – can inhibit air traffic across the continent, recalls that humanity, despite its tremendous influence on nature, remains only another species inhabiting this planet. Only capable of self-destruction.

A complex network of connections not only causes local events to have global consequences, but besides allows subtle forms of sabotage. It is known that all large powers have elaborated detailed plans on how to make everyday life in a hostile country: cutting off water and electricity, breaking down digital networks, etc. Global connectivity means that any specified strategy can be compromised even by insignificant interference at 1 of the many access points.

My nightmare about the global disaster does not look like atomic explosions burned the planet to dry, bare ground – but so that 1 lives like this, only without electricity, drinking water, air conditioning, digital or telephone communications and weather forecasts, and the deficiency of cash exacerbates chaos.

What do I do? Kohei Saito in his celebrated reading of Marx proves that since 1868 Marx has abandoned the presumption that changes in capitalism can take place gradually and focused on the fact that the ruthless exploitation of nature by capitalists threatens the endurance of humanity. Saito does not dress in words: the problem is capitalism as such.

The philosopher understands that ecology present belongs to the mainstream of capitalist ideology and that (almost) everyone wipes their mouth with it. That is why the main nonsubjective of his criticism is not to straight negate global warming but to support "sustainable growth", the most crucial rule that organises global responses to climate change.

Saito is peculiarly critical of Sustainable improvement Goals adopted by the UN, considering them as "new opium for the masses": these objectives contradict the brutal fact that cannot be achieved in the capitalist system.

The thought of "sustainable growth" plays precisely the same function as the position of the State of Israel and the main powers of the West as regards the expansion of settlers in occupied territories. erstwhile in A fresh interview with Louis Theroux Daniella Weiss, “godmother“ West Bank settlements, explains the strategy of expanding judaic settlements, its description of the settlers’ relation to Israeli state power strikes as fact in the purest form:

"We do for governments what they cannot do alone. Like Netanjahu now: he is happy about what we are doing here, and with our plans to build a judaic community in Gaza. He is happy about it – but he cannot say it out loud. He says the opposite, that it is unrealistic. Good! We'll make it realistic. We're not forcing the government to do anything. We're helping him. That's step number 1 in politics. The government is not forced, but it gives the government courage, opportunity, public support and political support."

Weiss considers this strategy to be a continuation of the founding process of the State of Israel: gradual construction of settlements in Palestine, and erstwhile there were adequate of them and the political situation changed, the authoritative Zionist organizations demanded that their territory be recognised as a state. This duality is important: the civilian (instrumental) movement and the authoritative public policy of public authorities. Citizens are doing what you officially deny and even condemn – and thus gradually make conditions for the state to yet admit the fact achieved.

It is besides hard not to announcement that the "democratic" West is now doing precisely the same thing: it officially condemns cultural cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank, but it silently tolerates it – that is, it does not take any serious steps against genocide and even supports Israel. It only waits until the mask settles and can be openly accepted the emergence of large Israel. No wonder a group of Israeli scholars officially proposed the candidacy of Daniella Weiss for the Nobel Peace Prize next year.

A major problem for Hasbara (Israeli propaganda) present is that after the horrors Israel committed in Gaza and the West Bank, most of the people of even Western countries critical of IsraelAnd to the Palestinians, he has humanitarian compassion. The fresh strategy so consists in mobilising pro-Israeli voices combined with direct and indirect forms of censorship.

In the largest media, it can seldom be read that most people feel sorry for Palestinians – those who perceive their suffering, are calling themselves an anti-Semitic terrorist minority. And large digital platforms, specified as Instagram, regularly receive lists from Israel of thousands of users and users whose accounts are to be suspended for the alleged promotion of terrorism.

This brings us back to our starting point: the dual state of emergency in Israel. In the same way that the ideology of "sustainable growth" paves the way in practice for environmental disasters, the constant babbling of a "two-state solution" and the disgraceful emptyness of compassion for the victims of demolition in Gaza are only a mask that allows Europe to "human rights" to wait comfortably for the fact that the large Israel will rise.

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In English she translated Aleksandra Paszkowska.

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