What a fascinating week in CMC300! The trip to the museum was more interesting than I expected and I am really glad about that. I'm also really glad that our discussions from the museum translated into discussions on Thursday in terms of being able to read into things intertextually.
I'm glad I have been exposed to Zizek and that we get to hear him lecture this week! Though the September 11 topic is a sensitive I find it important to talk about it critically through a number of lenses. The ZIzek/Boudriallard lens is a harsh one but it is thorough and accurate. It is important to be harsh on American tragedies and the way it is handled.
This weekend I saw the movie District 9 and couldn't help but think of Zizek and Boudrillard. Attack-Events happen in the movie that cause great damage and hysteria- when they do happen, the film shows how the "news" is covering it and the news throws up "terrorist attacks" "caught by surprise" "enemy being captured" so on and so forth. The news showed only small clips of any actual carnage regarding the "enemy", but when it came to the scenes outside of the "news", there was little holding back when it came to dehumanizing and torturing the enemy. I felt this couldn't apply more to our readings, especially when it comes to the enemy retaliating and Americans acting so stinking surprised. What I found particularly interesting though is how true Dr. Casey was when he said this class will change the way you look at things forever. I admit I'm already falling victim to that, if victim is even the right word. My friend thought the movie was all about immigration, I thought it was a commentary on media coverage and corporate/government control etc. I find that maybe our CMC teachings blur the line sometimes between conspiracy theory and critical theory. Either way, I suppose we as CMC students still have the upper hand.
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Us CMC majors definitely have the upper hand in our critical view of the world! Though at the same time we must be aware of that critical view. I'm so glad that your eyes are opening with these multiple views of the world, especially when digesting media. I would love to see you use these views to connect certain theorists to these ideas you are opening yourself to seeing outside class! For example, how has our culture come to become to used to viewing such carnage never affecting the US? Perhaps through the mechanical reproduction of certain images among American culture? Or even the radical eclecticism resulting from the US with actual disaster?
:)
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