Chapter 49 & 50

Chapter 49:

In this chapter, Debord talks about modern industrialized societies and how life has changed.  He says that life has changed from experiencing it directly to experiencing it through representations.  Debord believes that images have just begun to take over our lives.  I do not agree. I believe images have always dominated our lives.

Chapter 50:

In this chapter, Stuart Hall talks about "difference". He talks about difference because that is how peope have been able to define themselves.  " Things don't have essential meanings but relational ones." Everything is defined by differences, instead of being defined by similarities.

The reality show that I watch the most is The Hills. I like it because they live a more glamorous life than I do and I like to admire all of the nice things they have (except for the large amounts of drama included of course).

Chapters 47 & 48

Chapter 47:

This chapter talks about the question "What is art?" which has been asked over and over again for centuries.  It talks about what all is included in art and then it talks about Gowans four functions of art. 

1.) The four functions of art are substitute imagery: works such as photos, painting and so on that capture reality; illustration: works that tell stories or help tell stories; conviction and persuasion:works that show beliefs, sell products; beautification: works that please the eye or gratify the mind

3.) All of the connections make sense between the functions of art and the theories of art. Substitute imagery is mimetic since it is taking place of an image.  Illustration is objective because its telling a story with the object. 

4.) Illustration and beautification dominate the media because our society is all about having narratives and making things beautiful.  Nobody wants to see and advertisement that isn't pleasing to the eye.

5.) An artist can create reality by using substitute imagery.

Chapter 48

In this chapter they talk about the creation behind art. They bring up the latent and manifest function again relating to art. They also talk about how creativity and art doesn't just come from a mindless state. It comes from experience and what you have viewed. So they talk about how film students study art history and old films in order to have creative ideas.

1.) She says the old style is insistent but respectful and modern style excavates and while it excavates it destroys.

2.) She calls Freud the manifest content and Marx the latent content. And she says that they only seem to be intelligible.

3.) She says that because however someone wrote something doesn't mean that the reader is going to interpret it that way. Everyone is going to interpret things in their own way. 

4.) I don't believe we can be exposed to a text without interpreting it. Everyone has their own ideas about what they read.

5.) I think they would say that everyone is going to interpret things they're own way but none of their ideas are going to be original because everything has been thought of before.

Chapters 31 & 31

Chapter 31

Picture 1: post modernism- sharper edges, new

picture 2: modernism - soft colors

picture 3: modernism - harmonious, soft colors

picture 4: post modernism - sharp edges, blocks, bright colors

picture 5: post modernism- bright colors, original, new

Chapter 32

Solomon talks about how our lives are decentered because of postmodern societies.  He says that narratives are able to give order to our chaotic lives and if you take those narratives away, like postmodern societies do, then everything becomes sort of off in this new society. He thinks that life becomes meaningless without the narratives there because narratives are so important to our lives. 

Keywords

postmodernism: movement in the arts and literature during the 1970s that was rebelling against the modern times, used playful illusion, decoration and complexity

narratives: stories with beginning, middle, end

simulacra: a representation or image

hyperreality: the inability for a conscious to distinguish between reality and fantasy 

Chapters 45 & 46

Chapter 45

In this chapter, Berger talks about Fry's theory on humor.  He states that because of past experiences, we know that when we go to see a comedian, they usually mean what they say when they are insulting someone or something.  Others believe that humor takes place when someone has made themselves look ridiculous and that it is a sense of superiority. Berger's study is to figure out what make people laugh rather than why people laugh. 

Chapter 46

In the beginning of the chapter, they talk about the catharsis theory and how it is believed that when violence is seen on television or in a movie, the person watching it is bound to act more violent than they may have if they hadn't watched the violence.  Then they talk about the relation between tragedies and comedies and how everything is opposite:

TRAGEDY COMEDY

high status low status

serious not serious

pessimism optimism

pain pleasure

Chapter 36 & 37

Chapter 36

In this chapter, they talk about smart mobs and how they are taking over the technology scene.  Smart mobs are groups of people who do their organizing and planning through mass texts, for example "thumb tribes" in Tokyo. They would send out huge text messages from their phones to plan raves or events to stalk celebrities. 

Chapter 37

In this chapter, they talk about how audiences react when they watch "theatre", which includes television, actual theatre (plays) films, videos.  They say we interpret it based on our education, social background and knowledge base.  We can all interpret them differently but most of the time they are similar. 

Chapter 40 & 41

Chapter 40

This chapter talks about the use of narratives in the media.  They use the story line of the beginning to the end of the day so that we can related to them more like the example they use, soap operas.  Even though it is a bit more dramatic, we can still relate to some of the things going on in the show.

Chapter 41

This chapter talks about how dominant television is in our lives and how it is the major leisure activity that takes up our time. They also talk about how people try and connect themselves to characters or even think that they know and are friends with the characters in the shows but of course they are parasocial relationships.

My favorite show is Cities of the Underworld and on the show they do what they say in chapter 41. They create a narrative behind the whole "city" that they find below ground level and the try and let you connect with it.

Chapter 38 & 39

Break down

Sleep: 9 hours

School: 3 hours

Homework: 2 hours

Leisure: 3 hours

Commitment: 7 hours

3 Favorite TV Shows

Cities of the Underworld: It's interesting to learn about the history of underground tunnels and cities beneath ground surface. The purpose of the show is to inform people of these things.

Ghost Hunters: Its exciting and I'm not just watching it because I'm bored, I'm actually interested in the subject. The purpose of the show is to inform people that ghosts may be real.

Days of Our Lives: I watch this show because I'm usually bored at this point in the day and its just fun to watch because its so dramatic.  The purpose of this show it to entertain and that is it.