Thursday, September 30th 2010

Aesthetic Politics, Political Aesthetics

•   Debord, “The Commodity as Spectacle” (MCS)

•   Powell, I’m American: Am I a Prostitute?

Questions to Consider and Discuss in Week 4 

Discuss the “aesthetic reification” use of the term “prostitute” in the film.

Infer the implications of Debord’s idea ‘commodification’ and how that influences our social interaction and communication with each other.

Billions of dollars have been spent in marketing and advertising to gage the pulse of the consumer, their wants, desires, etc. How do free choice and autonomy factor into the decisions we make about our identity, ethics, and wants?

Is there a dominant nationalist metanarrative that the average American subconsciously or consciously buys into?