post-it, 3/26

Marx brings up a relevant topic in today’s economic transition from a culture that sought the most luxurious to a culture that is digressing to a renewed belief in practicality and utility. Wasting money in today’s economic climate is irrational, everything that a consumer is not. This is creating a media attitude of “less is more” and segments are being featured about renewing one’s spirit and enjoying the important things in life. That the media must remind us of these basic ideas and activities to spend our time demonstrates the American reliance on the media to tell us what to do and how to do it.

Althusser’s ideas on the Repressive and Ideological State Apparatuses give names to the ideas that Marx had. The ISA’s are at work in Western culture. Media is included on this list of things that operates as a way to keep us from total rebellion. Media calms us and educates us on the topics that we are allowed to understand. Power is withheld from the public through the information that the media does not publicize.

Learning about these theories during this period in American history is allowing our class a lens to truly see the implications of these theories at work. On days when the media share the ideas of the economy that are positive, the stock market goes up. On days that information is shared about the lasting effects that the poor economy will have on our society, special segments are offered to help those in an economic pinch cope with the situation. Coupons are also making a comeback although they have been available online for years. The way that we are changing our living habits is also leading to a more conscientious society that is learning to think about the impact of their actions upon those around them. The theories that Marx and Althusser had about the world are taking shape as necessity and cultural changes expose the system that has controlled our emotions to make us believe that we need more to be happy.

Happy Birthday, 3/29

In class on Thursday we discussed Jameson’s view on multinational capitalism. Jameson believes that postmodernism and multinational capitalism are the same thing. He stresses the fact that our culture is currently dominated by corporate need for profit. This idea can be related back to Horkheimer and Adorno when they state, “Mechanically differentiated products are ultimately all the same” (43). Everything nowadays is created for a profit—nothing is valuable to us anymore unless someone else wants it and then it becomes worth something. I know we’ve used this example millions of times in class, but it’s just like television shows! Identical television shows are made in order to make a profit, the reason why they are the same as every other show is because no one wants to make a television show that’s “new”, for the fear of it failing—so everyone just re-invents a show that has already been made (the bachelor). Jameson states, “depth has been replaced by surface”. (490) Jameson is saying that we have evolved into a society which is driven by want instead of need and craves the newest, fastest, $$ product. Also, Jameson touches upon this notion that nothing is scandalous to us anymore, and nothing shocks us. Jameson stresses that all aspects of our society once shocked people, but as time progressed these shocking behaviors became normalized and part of mainstream culture. A good example of this seen today all over Rollins campus is men wearing “womanish” clothing. For example, bright colored v-neck tee shirts, tight bright colored pants, scarves, and jewelry are seen quite frequently nowadays. However, this was not the trend ten years ago. This trend has become normalized and part of our everyday life—but I can remember thinking how weird it was when I saw a guy wearing tight skinny purple pants (11th grade in high school)….now though, it does not even phase me. I think our society will begin to normalize things much quicker and accept new looks, ideas, people, and pretty much everything a lot quicker because we are so different than any generation.

yellowdaisy4, 3/29/09

There were a few quotes we discussed in class from Jameson that I understood the most and could connect other things we discussed to. In the readings, Jameson talked about the “waning of affect” which means the going away or decreasing of feelings or of an emotive response. This quote relates to how the media, especially the news, bombards us with so many images constantly to a point where tragic events are no longer that shocking or moving and more of just a typical story. This reminds me of what Lyotard was talking about when he wrote how the media provides the correct images, narratives and the format so it is designed as “the appropriate remedy for the anxiety and depression the public experiences” (41). This quote relates because it describes how the media uses the same formula, like the mother of a missing child in suffering formula, that although depicts real pain uses the same formula as the other stories so viewers don’t feel as compassionate as they normally would because they are used to it. Instead of feeling sorry for the family, viewers would more likely be annoyed of too much coverage of that story.
I also found Jameson’s quotes about how “pastiche eclipses parody” and “parody finds itself without a vocation” (493) to be interesting because that definitely affects pop culture today. Television shows like Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and even Conan O’Brien are so popular and all they do is just piece actual clips of things people said together, usually politicians, which in themselves are so funny. It’s either hard to actually make fun of something or too easy because it’s already done for you by the actual person. This connects to another Lyotard quote of “so called realistic representations can no longer evoke reality except as nostalgia or mockery” (40). It’s entertaining for us to watch how silly our world is and see how others react to it.

Dot, 3/29

 I was very interested in many of the things I learned while discussing Adorno and Horkheimer in class on Thursday. I have also been curious about the ways in which mass culture controls our lives and I found Adorno and Horkheimer's views on the subject quite insightful. Out of everything that we talked about in class, I was taken aback by one statement in particular. 

"Only those who can keep paying the exorbitant fees charged by the advertising agencies... That is, those who are already part of the system... Can enter the pseudomarket as sellers" (68). I had never really thought about this in an academic setting before, but it is definitely something I think about on a regular basis. I am from a small town where most of the businesses are family run. In recent years, many of these small businesses have been struggling to compete with corporation owned companies that sell similar products. They do not have the economical resources that larger corporations do and therefore find it hard to stay open. Larger companies are able to not only advertise more, as Adorno and Horkheimer argue, but also they are able to sell a larger range of products, where family owned businesses normally stick with specialized items that may not draw as many customers. 

A few years ago a Target opened up in my town and for months all I ever heard people talk about was how much of an impact it was going to make on the local economy. I, however, was overjoyed that such a new and exciting place to shop was opening up nearby... Before Target on had to travel at least forty minutes to go to such a store. I did not understand how much this new corporation would really effect everything in the town. Since its opening, many smaller, family owned stores have been forced to close down, forcing those who did still buy goods at those stores to shop at Target.

When presented with the quote by Adorno and Horkheimer, I thought about and for the first time realized how much advertising big corporations really do send out and how much it must cost. Every Sunday the local newspaper in my town contains a glossy paged Target ad booklet, where local businesses may put a small ad in the newspaper. Companies like Target also advertise all over the internet and on television. They can afford to spend money on tons of advertising and therefore stay in the minds of consumers where small businesses do not have this luxury. 

The end of Adorno and Horkheimer's quote also presents a very interesting point. The world of consumer marketing and selling is a circle of sorts that is very hard to break into. This circle contains the larger companies and corporations that are able to pay its high fees, but excludes smaller businesses and limits them from being able to sell their products.  The economy of our culture at this time does not really help the smaller businesses either; as they are having a hard time paying for everything, advertising is probably their last concern. 

spaghetti, 3/29

"To be entertained means to be in agreement." Upon reflection of this quote form Adorno, I began tho think about my praxis project regarding 9/11 and its affect on the film industry. In my group, we researched not only the fascination with terror but also the common fixation with destruction as entertainment. To a certain extent, this quote applies to the concept at hand. In oder for a film to be truly "successful" (meaning it generates a lot of profit), audience members not only have to subscribe to the ideas expressed in the film, but they also have to enjoy them to a certain extent. I remember one time asking my mother how she liked a movie she told me she had gone to see. She told me she and her friend found the film so offensive and sexist that they left. Therefore, audience members have to agree somewhat with the ideas expressed in the film in order for the film to make any money. In terms of the movies that have come out since the 9/11 attacks, audience members have to agree with the notion that the United States is an innocent victim and that the terrorists are the unprovoked aggressors; because this is the sentiment expressed in the majority of mainstream and conventionally successful films regarding the subject. But what makes people subscribe to this particular ideology? I blame the media, and more specifically news networks. Opposing viewpoints exist, but are very rarely publicly broadcast. The reality of it is its ties into a political agenda. The hegemonic ideology is that which is expressed in these films, and people absent-mindedly subscribe to it. It they didn't these films would not make as much money and wouldn't be as well received by the general public.

MerryChristmas!, 3-29

"The dominant taste derives its ideal from the advertisement, from commodified beauty."

During our class discussion, this quotation stood out to me because of previous class discussions in CMC 100 and CMC 200. We discussed this notion of the "commodified beauty" in advertisements and celebrity endorsements. What is "commodified" beauty? Who establishes what beauty is? Dove is one company in particular that I focused this notion of commodified beauty on. Their campaign for "real beauty" is one that seems to go against the norm. However, some ulterior motives may take place here. Dove's "real beauty" campaign features everyday looking women who have realistic body types with curves. The women in Dove's advertisements are of all races and ages. This idea seems refreshing and like a positive influence on the surface. However, when you take a step back to realize what is going on here, the marketing campaign is ingenious. If the majority of women can relate to these ads and women assume they are promoting a positive image, more products will be sold. It seems likely that the people behind the advertisements were simply trying to find a way to sell the product. What not a better way to sell a product than by depicting realistic women on their ads rather than unrealistic, tall, thin models with perfect complexions that are most likely tall, caucasian, blonde, and with blue eyes. As stated in one of my communications classes, the average size pants in the United States among women is size 14, not a size 2. So by showing women who can relate to the majority, Dove will sell more products as a result. This is the only instance where I see this idea of commodified beauty not being used, but most likely being a success.

Here is a youtube video as part of their campaign for "real beauty", check it out. It is really interesting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U

JLO63O, 3/26

When I think of culture I think of something unique, special, and comparably different. I think of indigenous tribes with campfire rituals and I think of tea ceremonies and chopsticks. So when Adorno wrote, “Culture today is infecting everything with sameness” (41) it sounded like an oxymoron. Unfortunately, the more we talk and think about it, the more oxymoronically correct this statement becomes. It seems more and more like everywhere we go and everything we see there are a set of norms and sameness in the results. After traveling much of the world, I found that in no matter what country— however same or different from the US – I would always be able to get around. In Tokyo for example, among all the Japanese Sanskrit, I could find a Starbucks logo. I could go into a starbucks the same exact menu (and same exact seasonal specials!), and I could even use my Starbucks card I got for my birthday back in the States. The more we expanded on this concept in class, the more we came to realize that sameness was truly infecting everything. Pandora radio is an example that I thought was exceptionally interesting in the fact that Pandora prizes itself on supplying a wide array of music, but in the end, we’re still all listening to the same songs! We see sameness in fashion and movie constructs as well. In Tokyo the majority of people weren’t walking around in Kimonos but rather in Jeans and high-heels. And Tokyo, to me, when I went in November was exceptionally familiar because Christmas music was echoing in the streets and shops were decorated with fake snow and ornaments.

I took this picture when I was abroad in Japan because I remember looking at it and thinking how unnatural this seemed. I realize, after saying that, how this statement can be viewed as naïve or narrow minded, but I came to Japan with a set list of norms and values that I would have to adapt to in order to pay respect for the country (such as bowing and using chop sticks). I thought they were Buddhist and Shinto, and not to say that I wasn’t pleasantly surprised how comfortable I was half way across the world, but I was surprised how same their culture was/is becoming to ours (and I say that because I know for certain that we’re not becoming more like them!). On the one hand, it’s a very easing feeling knowing you can travel the world and almost know what to expect… or at least know wherever you go it won’t be uncomfortably foreign; but on the other hand, there is so much less to be learned from sameness.