Graham, 10/27

This week’s discussion related to Benjamin, and the idea that reproduction eliminates authenticity. I think that these authors (Benjamin and Hebdige).
We used to look at people who had tattoos, and think that it was completely ridiculous and unorthodox, but more and more people have began to get them, making it more accepted by society. This is because the idea is not “new” anymore. People do not like things when they are not normal, which brings me into my discussion on “sameness”.
“Culture today is infecting everything with sameness” this means that if you are not a part of the hegemonic idea (clothing styles, groups, friends…) then you do not fit in with society. We also discussed when you are driving down the highway, and you see hotel signs for Mama’s Country Inn, and Holiday Inn, then you are typically going to choose the Holiday Inn, because you do not want to try something new. These small businesses are beginning to be put out of business by the chain businesses, which society has a huge part in. There is no longer originality in our society. We like commodities, even though they control us constantly. We want to be ‘normal’ and have things that are ‘normal’ but ideologies have created these ideas, and society goes along with it. Why is it so important to be just like everyone else?
We discussed “Amusement always means putting things out of mind forgetting suffering, even when it is on display. At its root is powerlessness.” This reminds me of the concept of Ecco and Disney. When we go to Disney, we forget all of our stresses and feel as if we are in a fantasy world. It gives us the feeling of escapism. We have so many things in society that take our minds off of everyday life, such as television, movies, theme parks…etc.