So, to begin, I'd like to say that this book is DEPRESSING. But then again, it seems that many of the good books I'm reading these days are. Just look at the Omnivore's Dilemma, Ishmael, and Billy Corgan's book of poetry, Blinking With Fists. I guess it's just generally depressing when someone pulls the shade up from over your eyes and says "Hey, this world is FUCKED".
In particular, on page 61 the author recounts a story of a wedding party where the weight of all of the partygoers burst the septic pipes laid in the ground beneath them. the people continued to dance, ignoring the problem until it was blatantly stated by a young boy. this story was told as an allegory for our current situation regarding oversaturation of the media and the routine-ness of our day-to-day lives. Yet, while it is completely depressing to make this association, one cannot help but realize that it makes sense. We ARE becoming desensitized and ritualized. And of course, as Lasn words it, "those who have clued in apparently figure iit's best to ignore the shit and keep dancing". If you can't be genuinely ignorant, at least pretend you are and hope that "ignorance is bliss" might still apply to you in some way or another.
Then, on the next page, Lasn makes yet another depressing allegory, this time comparing american culture to the late, great, elvis presley: once a shining star on the global scene, now a fat tub of lard, dying on the shitter. Wonderful imagery, really.
To be honest, a lot of what this book is talking about are things that we've already gone over in class to some extent. there are some interesting aspects, to be sure, but it appears as if Lasn is glossing over them, or possibly hinting at later elaborations within the book. For instance, one of the most catching quotes so far, on page 25, is when he says "Can we come up with antidotes to these infoviruses that infect our minds? the answer may depend on how much we've ingested of the most powerful and persistent infotoxin of them all: cynicism". He then switches topics entirely, and leaves the reader hanging. I, for one, agree that cynicism is a killer, but I'm interested in hearing why Lasn thinks so.
In conclusion, the new Alice in Wonderland movie sucks. Support your local punk scene.
nateeee
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Loved, loved Omnivore's Dilemma + Ishmael. Nice post. Yeah, Lasn's assertions aren't anything completely new, I just enjoy the way he lays it out and tries to shake things up. And this book is from 1999, pre-Facebook, MySpace, Twitter... what would he be saying about those new additions to our media world? Have you checked out his adbusters website? I heard AIW was a thumbs down (although I do enjoy Mr. Depp). We saw Michael Moore's "Capitalism, A Love Story". Now THAT was depressing!
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