Graham, 9/10/09

It was interesting the way that we discussed the idea of the McDonalds sign, which has become extremely cliché to the majority of Americans, because we see it constantly, which cause us to ultimately forget that the sign itself is a piece of art. This occurs a lot in society today, because things are reproduced so rapidly, causing them to lose their value, because we no longer know what the “original is. We looked at pictures on the Powerpoint, and pointed out the fact that it is almost impossible to figure out what the original is. I believe that this is one of the most important things that Walter Benjamin discusses in his article.
“The camera…need not respect the performance as an integral whole” (25) was also talked about the way that the media completely changes the way that we watch television. Dr. Casey used the example of watching a sports gave on TV, and actually watching it in person. When we are actually there, we encounter various interruptions and distractions which make it very hard for us to stay focused. However, when we watch it at home we intimately see only what the camera crew wants us to see, so it is a lot easier to stay focused. He explained that “the camera has taken place of our eyes” because we sit at home and watch a movie, and we feel as if we are actually there. This is why we cry in movies, and believe that reality television is real. We watch these things and relate to them, so that we actually allow these shows and movies to effect our emotions.
However, if we do not agree with something that is happening in the media, we begin thinking that we could have written it better. He gave us the quote saying “everybody who witnesses its [a film’s] accomplishments is somewhat of an expert…At any moment the reader is turned into a writer.” As a society, we are always judging others and believing that we are far more capable than them.