The “Spectacle” can only be destroyed from an outside force such as a major natural cataclysm. Revolution from within the system is now impossible. “Global Conumer Capitalism” is, on the whole, is too big to fail. I say that the Spectacle isn’t that of an audience/performance relationship, it’s the sociological/psychological guilt that is perpetuated by the consumerist society that ends up enslaving us. The “fans” were engaged in the drama on the field. Look at a photo of attendees at a football or baseball game 30 or 40 years ago. Then there is the peripheral stuff like business and industry that exists because of Sports like the NFL such as Sports Radio, ESPN, multimillion dollar Super Bowl advertising.Īll of this is relatively new. And when cities and states fund stadiums, that too is an implicit taxing of the greater society. The prototypical NFL fan is doing all this “voluntarily.” The insidiousness of the Spectacle is that, even if you are not interested in American Football in any way, the corporations that buy half million dollar luxury suites are paying for it with proceeds from their customers. Real fans are season ticket holders at thousands of dollars per seat.īut there’s more. To be a true fan, a real fan, you need to buy all the swag: $200 jersey, hats, hoodies, coats, etc. If you are a fan it is socially not enough to be interested in the outcome of your favorite team’s season. The NFL is Spectacle because it is now too big to fail. Take your example of the Spectacle of Sport, specifically as it relates to the NFL. Of course 50 years on, and hindsight being 20/20, it is now easier to understand. I was looking forward to this episode, but I think you guys missed the overarching idea that Debord was reaching for. Please support PEL!ĭebord picture from the cover of this French book. Is this all a bit exaggerated? Is the type of shallowness Debord refers to really restricted to the modern age, or to capitalism? Haven't we always had spectacles foisted upon us to keep us in line? Mark, Seth, Wes, and Dylan delve into this prescient critique and come up firing on all four cylinders.įor more information on the Situationist International movement in France (1956–1972), watch this documentary.Ĭontinued on part 2, or get your unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition now. #136 on Adorno), but our whole shallow culture where technology, efficiency, and loss of aesthetic quality in favor of economic quantity all isolate us from each other so that we can't effectively engage in political opposition. This means wrenching ourselves from "the spectacle," which is not just the media created to distract us (per our ep. It's not just our jobs that keep us trapped, but our life outside of working hours is also demanded by "the system" via our activity as consumers, and this commoditization infiltrates every corner of our lives.ĭebord wants us to WAKE UP, break our chains, and live lives of immediacy, vitality, and authenticity. What is culture? In modern capitalism, Debord thinks that it's all about the economy. On the 1967 neo-Marxist, Situtationist book. Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 54:28 - 49.9MB)
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |