The well-known Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek has again stirred up controversy, and this in left-wing circles close to him, as it may seem. At the end of December last year, he published a text in the Spanish daily El Pais, which in its Polish translation appeared in Gazeta Wyborcza. And one has to admit that the very title 'Cancel culture as a manifestation of ethical decay' sounds hooky.

What is Žižek's main thesis? Under the pretext of a just struggle against the legacy of centuries of oppression, leftist ideological fanaticism makes itself known. It manifests itself in the fact that the proponents of equality and justice try to repair the world by discriminating against groups they perceive as privileged. Thus, by applying collective responsibility, they themselves are prepared to persecute innocent people.

Thus, the Slovenian thinker's target was the 'woke' left. This political trend originated in the USA and is associated with 'cancel culture', i.e. the erasure from collective memory of, among others, those figures accused of racism and other politically incorrect attitudes.

SIGN UP TO OUR PAGE At the same time, it is significant that Žižek uses the jargon of the circles he criticises. He uses the adjective 'cisgendered' in various types and variations.

This linguistic monstrosity refers to someone who is not a transsexual person. It must be acknowledged that where 'woke' incantations have the status of mere ideological quirks, such a person is regarded simply as a normal, healthy individual and there is no need to apply any adjectives to them. Meanwhile, in the view of contemporary advocates of the left-wing cultural revolution, concepts such as norm and health alone can be discriminatory to transgender people.

Hence the introduction of the term 'cisgender' into the public debate (in Latin, the prefix 'cis' is the opposite of the prefix 'trans' and means that someone or something is 'on this' and not 'on that' side). The idea is that people whose gender identity is consistent with their biological sex should also be defined in some way. This linguistic operation in the consciousness of the masses is intended to ensure that transsexual people, or "transgendered" according to "woke" nomenclature, are not singled out and thus have the odium of being perceived as a freak of nature removed from them.

One may wonder whether Žižek is using the adjective 'cisgendered' ironically or seriously. However, there is no doubt that the philosopher has stired the pot with his text in El Pais. This is evidenced, for example, by this passage: "Traditional racism vilifies the intruder who poses a threat to the unity of the dominant group; the woke left, for its part, tries to do the same to anyone who has not completely abandoned the old categories of gender, sexuality and ethnicity. Now all sexual orientations and gender identities are acceptable - unless you are a white male whose gender identity matches your biological sex at birth. Members of this cisgendered group are told to feel guilty for who they are (for 'feeling good in their bodies'), although everyone else (including cisgendered women) is encouraged to be who they feel they are."

Many conservatives could subscribe to these words. And Žižek's observations do, after all, apply to the disputes we also face in our country. In Poland, the 'woke' left is also already present.

Suffice it to mention how, in 2021, students at the Jagiellonian University were given a questionnaire to complete in which they were asked to state their gender. There were six answers to choose from: 'female', 'male', 'trans woman', 'transmale', 'non-binary', 'do not want to answer this question'. The questionnaire was sent to the students by one of the UJ departments. It was - as assured by a spokesperson for the Krakow university - voluntary, anonymous and confidential. Nevertheless, it is a fact that the UJ authorities, by initiating the whole action, demonstrated that they are close to left-wing identity politics.

Another example of 'woke' aggravation is the disciplinary investigation that was initiated in 2020 at the University of Silesia against sociologist Ewa Budzyńska. Some students complained against her to the authorities of the Katowice university. The allegations against Budzyńska concerned the fact that she referred to a human being in the prenatal stage as a child during her teaching, and defined the family as the natural and fundamental cell of society, based on the union of a man and a woman. The disciplinary ombudsman of the University of Silesia stated that the lecturer 'formulated statements based on her own value-laden worldview imposed on the students'.

In Poland, the 'woke' left insists - as it does everywhere else - on the rights of the 'Other'. The category of "Other" includes, above all, all minorities (ethnic, religious, sexual). What we have here is a fetishisation of all otherness. At the same time, the 'woke' left of the Vistula has no qualms about disowning that part of the Polish population it considers to be an oppressive majority (just as the 'cisgendered' white men defended by Žižek are postponed worldwide). This is about those who are guided by the authority of the Catholic Church.

After all, not a few Polish "woke" intellectuals will admit that a black activist in the LGBT movement from New York is closer to them than a Polish Catholic from the Podkarpacie region. Of the two, it is the latter who appears to him to be the "Other". It is therefore mainly to him that he should show tolerance.

This state of affairs leads to the conclusion that Polish left-wing cathophobia is something comparable to American white racism. For here, the elite-playing left-liberal intelligentsia from the big cities shows contempt for the people from small centres, who still listen more to what Catholic priests say than to progressive wiseguys.

Returning to Žižek's text in El Pais, it is not surprising that there were some not so obvious divisions among Polish Twitter users about it. On the right there were voices praising the Slovenian's opinion, while on the left there were voices raising objections to it.

Meanwhile, there can be no illusions about Žižek's views. In his text, he identifies an alternative to the 'woke' left. These are the forces of mainstream politics in Western countries, carrying out left-wing cultural change by an evolutionary route. Thus, the Slovenian philosopher praises the 12 US senators from the Republican Party who voted "together with the Democratic majority to protect the right of same-sex couples to marry".

It appears that Žižek is simply a sympathiser of the asymptomatic right. In the USA, a term has even been coined: "Republican In Name Only" (RINO for short). It encompasses those Republican Party politicians who embrace a left-wing cultural agenda contrary to their party's options. It is just that, while a significant proportion of Republicans are still ideological conservatives, the case is different for the right in Europe. One need only mention the Tories or the German Christian Democrats. These are formations that are gradually adopting the discourse of the left on cultural issues.

This does not invalidate the fact that 'woke' excesses may provoke resistance among the liberal bourgeoisie. It is different, however, when left-wing cultural change is carried out using tactics of gradual familiarisation with moral innovations.

This is already happening in the entertainment industry, for example. For the masses are appealed to by popular actors or journalists, not by revolted 'woke' intellectuals. Just point out the elements of LGBT ideology in series on Netflix. And as for Polish liberal knuckleheads, it is to them that messages such as the one recently served up by breakfast TV on one of Poland's commercial channels are addressed.

Here were two journalists running the programme who invited a lesbian couple raising a baby girl (all three were present in the studio). The child is the daughter of one of these women. But - as they stated - the girl has no father. In their opinion, there is only a sperm donor. It was tempting for the hosts of the programme to comment that such an approach could be indicative of instrumental treatment of the child. But that's not why they do re-education work, to throw this kind of remarks around.

To sum up, Žižek is concerned with the effective fracturing of societies. That is why his criticism aimed at the 'woke' left is insidious. He does not seek common ground with conservatives. If he opposes the various ideological follies of the left, it is only because the exaggeration that characterises them harms progressives, to which he himself belongs.

– Filip Memches
-Translated by Tomasz Krzyżanowski

TVP WEEKLY. Editorial team and jornalists