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ZENODO
Article . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: ZENODO
ZENODO
Article . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
ZENODO
Article . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
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THE ERSATZ ENLIGHTENMENT: PSEUDO-INTELLECTUAL DISCOURSE, PORNOGRAPHIC METAPHORICITY, AND THE IDEOLOGICAL ENJOYMENT OF KITSCH IN CONTEMPORARY QUEER-AESTHETIC TELE-EVANGELISM

Authors: Panasiuk, Mariia;

THE ERSATZ ENLIGHTENMENT: PSEUDO-INTELLECTUAL DISCOURSE, PORNOGRAPHIC METAPHORICITY, AND THE IDEOLOGICAL ENJOYMENT OF KITSCH IN CONTEMPORARY QUEER-AESTHETIC TELE-EVANGELISM

Abstract

In the realm of contemporary cultural criticism, the phenomenon of pseudo-intellectualism emerges as a pervasive distortion, wherein individuals masquerade as authoritative voices on complex aesthetic and psychic matters without the requisite depth or rigor, often relying on superficial appropriations of theoretical frameworks to mask their inadequacies. This essay interrogates the intersections of pseudo-intellectualism with what can be termed tele-preaching of LGBT sectarianism and pseudo-cultural enlightenment, drawing upon the exemplar of a YouTube video essay by the channel CoggiCon, titled "I LOVE KITSCH: 10 symptoms of trauma in music at Eurovision," which purports to dissect kitsch as a cultural-psychic symptom but devolves into a vulgar, ironic spectacle that exemplifies the very lowliness it ostensibly critiques. Through a philosophical lens informed by classical and left psychoanalysis, modern and non-mainstream psychoanalytic variants, Russian psychoanalytic perspectives, left and contemporary French philosophy, post-structuralism, and cultural studies, we can discern how such discourse not only fails to illuminate but actively perpetuates ideological obfuscation. Pseudo-intellectualism, as articulated by Greenberg in his seminal critique of kitsch, represents a commodified simulacrum of intellectual engagement, where the allure of mass appeal supplants genuine inquiry, much like the ersatz emotionality of kitsch art that Greenberg contrasted with avant-garde authenticity. In this video, the presenter embodies this by weaving a tapestry of references to Tamara Gundorova's works on kitsch and trauma, yet interspersing them with metaphors of pornography and used napkins, evoking a Bataillean excess of vulgarity that ostensibly disrupts normative discourse but ultimately reinforces a base, unreflective sensationalism. Bataille's philosophy of transgression, wherein the profane illuminates the sacred, is here perverted into mere shock value, as the presenter's fidgety delivery and ironic asides about "gooning" and masturbation reduce psychoanalytic insights on trauma to puerile analogies, betraying a mismatch between form and content that alienates rather than enlightens. From a Lacanian standpoint, this pseudo-intellectual posture reveals a fundamental misrecognition: the presenter positions himself as the master signifier of cultural critique, yet his discourse is riddled with the Real's intrusions—uncontrolled vulgarities that puncture the Symbolic order he claims to navigate. 

Keywords

Cultural Critique Ideological Enjoyment Pseudo Intellectualism Kitsch Simulacrum

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average