kMO 2/14

Unfortunately I was unable to attend our last class meeting. Therefore, in order to try and grasp some of these concepts I decided to read everyone else’s posts.

After reading “Cuckoo’s” post regarding the “cult of new” I began to digest the type of concepts being discussed by Habermas. We are indeed a society that is fixated on having the newest, most expensive, top-of-the-line products. We are driven forward by an untouchable force to "out-due" what has already been “done.” In relatin to this topic CMC 100 taught me the impacts image had on the mass media market and potentially more importantly the effect of aesthetic appeal on a single individual. I hate to admit it but I too have fallen victim to this infectious routine and find myself depending on technology to help me survive the day…

The absorption of technological advancements into our culture is becoming alarmingly obvious and dangerously common. “July” touches on Habermas’ concept, “pleasure derives from pain.” To all those out there who don’t know who Perez Hilton is I highly advise you visit his website (www.perezhilton.com). His posts are described as, “being delivered with an irreverent and cruel slant. He often posts tabloid photographs over which he has added his own captions or "doodles." His blog has garnered both positive and negative attention for its brash attitude, its active "outing" of closeted homosexual celebrities and for its role in the increasing coverage of celebrities in all forms of media.” There is no better example of “pleasure derived from pain.” This website receives over 8 million hits a day…

Starfish’s explanation of the controversial quote “modernism is dominant but dead” was fantastic. I struggled to grasp how something can be both active and inactive at the same time. For example, Latin is a dead language because it is no longer spoken. However, it is the basis for a large portion of the English language therefore it is still active.

Thanks to all of you who helped me understand what I missed in class!