Freedom is approached in this article as an empty signifier and as an object of discursive struggle, from a discourse-theoretical perspective. The hegemonic centrality of freedom in Western discourse and identity construction is acknowledged, but at the same time the article argues that hegemony is never total and all-encompassing. In other words, hegemonic constructions are seen as always particular, with their universal claims displaying cracks and gaps. Especially when different discursive communities (e.g. the West and Russia) engage in global discursive struggles, these cracks become visible through dislocatory strategies. The second part of the article then addresses a case study about how this discursive struggle is organised in practice, focussing on the RT mini-series How to Watch the News, which prominently features Slavoj Žižek. The discourse-theoretical analysis demonstrates how the mini-series deconstructs the Western articulation of freedom, in three ways, namely by showing the failures of Western liberal democracies, and the divided nature of Western societies, and by critiquing the individualistic articulation of freedom. The article concludes by pointing to the ambiguities related to the centrality of freedom, the role of RT and the role of Žižek as public intellectual.

从话语理论的角度来看，本文将自由视为一个空洞的能指和话语斗争的对象。自由在西方话语和身份建构中的霸权中心地位得到承认，但同时文章认为霸权从来都不是全面的和包罗万象的。换句话说，霸权结构总是被视为特殊的，它们的普遍主张显示出裂缝和差距。尤其是当不同的话语共同体（如西方和俄罗斯）参与全球话语斗争时，这些裂痕通过错位策略变得显而易见。文章的第二部分然后讨论了一个关于这种话语斗争在实践中是如何组织的案例研究，重点是 RT 迷你系列如何看新闻，其中突出的特点是斯拉沃伊·齐泽克。话语理论分析展示了这部迷你系列如何从三个方面解构西方的自由表述，即展示西方自由民主国家的失败和西方社会的分裂本质，以及批判个人主义的自由表述。文章最后指出了与自由的中心地位、RT 的作用以及齐泽克作为公共知识分子的作用有关的模棱两可。