The actions described in the last paragraph on page 11 are often habits that people don't realize they have fallen into. But, I think it's important to look at Lasn's idea of 'plentitude' first. I like Lasn's idea that when we have so much so readily available to us, and we don't need to earn our belongings, it is nearly impossible to find satisfaction. We are so engrossed in the idea that more 'things' is better, yet the 'things' we accumulate are meaningless. Because we try so hard and fail to find meaning in the 'things' we have, we begin this eternal search for satisfaction.
The search goes far into the worlds of consumerism and materialism. This is where my selected passage comes into play. It explains that we sit in front of the TV, trannced from the thousands of advertisements that stimulate the eternal search for satisfaction. The example goes further into our TV habits and asks us to think about why we watch nature shows. How could such a large audience of people justify watching nature on TV, when we could simply step outside or take a road trip and be on the 'set' of those nature shows. Lasn goes on to point out that we laugh at jokes on sitcoms but not our spouse's, and spend more time watching porn than making our own love. The media and consumer craving for satisfaction creates a visual barrier, blocking the view to our realities, and giving us tunnel vision straight into fantasy world: tv, social networking, texting, and online shopping.
The fantasy world has desensitized us from our own personal, human emotions. The sitcoms on tv become more comfortable for us. They are staged, scripted, and composed to be entertainment. Porn fits into the same category: staged, scripted, and composed. Are we too focused on being entertained to realize that having these experiences with the ones we love are more meaningful? Does the perfectness of the scripted fantasy world make us feel that our imperfect realities seem awkward and tense?
In any given place on campus, I can point out several people more engrossed in their phones than their friends in front of them, the professor giving them homework, or the person with their arms full who needs help opening the door. How has this happened? When did the vibration of our phone become our most focused on physical sensation? One that easily beats out a hug from a friend, advice from a parent, or caress from a lover?
What has the power to defeat the reality barrier? Do we need to find the media's 'kryptonite', or our 'spinach'? Which would have the most impact on this issue?
Brooke this was a good blog i think that i agree with you for the most part. the only thing i can object to is paying attention to your phone while a professor is giving out home work. but that's not a good argument. all of your points are valid i like the way you linked them all to either something to the book or something from a real life experience.
ReplyDelete"Are we too focused on being entertained to realize that having these experiences with the ones we love are more meaningful?" This quote really stood out to me because that is a fantastic question. This could even go all the way to why do couples break up. Are couples spending more time paying attention to the tv than to their partner? It very well may be so, and what does that say for our future and advancing technology...soon enough, relationships may become rare. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI love your post! Its so thoughtful and true. Your statement about more things being better than the things we accumulate is so true. We just buy and buy because we always need more. I am very guilty of this :/ I also dont understand why we watch nature on tv. Going outside and enjoying the sunshine and trees is so much better than having the tv entertain us. Cell phone are for sure the biggest worry of college students. Especially going from class to class. Its all we worry about! Great points Brooke :)
ReplyDeleteBrooke, you make very good points and i completely agree! Everyone has become so wrapped up in the media they don't realize what is going on around them. I also agree with Leo's comment on why couples break up. People post way too much information on blog's, facebook, twitter, etc. One wrong post or comment can really effect the relationship between two people, i know this from personal experience!
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