"Land of the free, home of the hungry"

Always insightful and bold, Gary Younge's articles in the Guardian's Comment is Free section are terrific commentaries on America's social realities.  He often times addresses sensitive matters carefully while not shying from strong statements against commonly held opinions.  Check out his latest article about poverty, food stamps, and the Republican aspirations "to balance the budget on the stomachs of the hungry."

Is Zizek right?

Unlike many leftists, I'm not too impressed by Slavoj Zizek, however I enjoyed his article in the Guardian giving explanation for the Occupy movement and words of caution for its participants!  The follow excerpt from the article highlights some of my current struggles and questions:

"In a kind of Hegelian triad, the western left has come full circle: after abandoning the so-called "class struggle essentialism" for the plurality of anti-racist, feminist, and other struggles, capitalism is now clearly re-emerging as the name of the problem."

Can our all of our social ills be reduced to purely economic forces (capitalism) or are social injustices heterogenous (consisting of sexism, racism, heterosexism, and class struggle as just one among the many others)?  Is there a danger in reductionist tendencies?  Can a plurality struggles truly produce a strong resistance to injustices?