The conclusion to be drawn is thus that the problematic of multiculturalism - the hybrid coexistence of diverse cultural life-worlds - that imposes itself today is the form of appearance of its opposite, of the massive presence of capitalism as universal world system: it bears witness to the unprecedented homogenization of the contemporary world. It is effectively as if, since the horizon of social imagination no longer allows us to entertain the idea of an eventual demise of capitalism -since, as we might put it, everybody silently accepts that capitalism is here to stay- critical energy has found a substitute outlet in fighting for cultural differences, which leave the basic homogeneity of the capitalist world system intact. So we are fighting our PC battles for the rights of ethnic minorities, of gays and lesbians, of different lifestyles and so on, while capitalism pursues its triumphant march- and today’s critical theory, in the guise of ‘cultural studies’, is doing the ultimate service to the unrestrained development of capitalism by actively participating in the ideological effort to render its massive presence invisible: in a typical postmodern ‘cultural criticism’, the very mention of capitalism as world system tends to give rise to the accusation of ‘essentialism’, ‘fundamentalism’ and other crimes.
the universal exception, zizek 2006 p.173 (via
zizekianrevolution)
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