So I've recently been reading Guy Debord's Society of the Spectacle, as part of my self directed study of post-structuralism and critical theory. It's greatly interesting thus far. The central idea of the book can be summed up with a quote from the 19th segment. "The concrete life of everyone has been degraded into a speculative universe." Debord argues that the way in which we fetishize commodities and the status that goes along with them has grown to such an extent that it is now the dominant force of society, and that all parts of society now relate back to this. I feel like this comes to the heart of our age. We as Americans have nothing to do but figuratively masturbate over our own status as consumers. It's a near universal complaint to say that one feels lost and purposeless now. And how could one feel otherwise when our entire society is structured around consuming for the sake of consuming? We no longer build. We have reverted to simply taking in nutrients and finding trivial pleasures, but we no longer feel like we've earned it. It is my opinion that the vast amount of anger present in our modern politics is a result of this isolation. People recognize that something at the heart of our culture is alienating and inhuman. I believe that many examples of mass violence are the result of damaged minds lashing out against this. I'm not really sure what my point is per se, but I'm interested in discussing the concept of the spectacle here.
Bringing back the means of production that had previously been exported could help tremendously. Many need jobs.
so you're saying the mass shootings are a result of too many toasters and no bread to toast in them? I mean, what is a toaster without any bread, meaningless... I can only imagine how the sugar bowl felt, when it thought its entire life it was a teapot, only to find out it had two handles and no spout... devastating... (singing) I'mmmmm a little teapot short and stout, here is my handle, here is my... what... my other handle? awww crap I'm a sugar bowl... (*)(*)(*)(*) LIFE (shoots tableware) its okay to be a sugar bowl...
One aspect that I find interesting is that idea of people experiencing life by proxy. Spectator sports, video games, and porn come to mind. It might even help explain Trump. I've heard enough Trump supporters claim to know the nature of "moguls" like Trump. Can it be that when Trump is telling the crowds how he would do things, (watch his speeches and see how he makes it seem personal) that the net effect is that they are experiencing life on a grand scale through him.
Fetishizing commodities is also interesting. Time and again I've been amused when encountering individuals who value things not for what they are but for their preceived value.
My theory is that the search for meaning is the search for something extra-normal. Consumption only feels extra-normal for so long. After awhile you realize that the things you have don't possess meaning in of themselves. Religion has usually provided people with meaning but it's no longer appealing because all of the appealing externalities we attached to religion in the past can be found in other places. The inner peace that religion can offer is also less appealing because so many jobs are boring and lives in general are often boring, so people don't want an offering of peace either. I personally suspect that these are all solvable problems that only require a proper religion but no one is offering such a thing in America besides maybe the Mormons and not many wants to be Mormons because some of the things they believe are ahistorical.
It is not about toasters but the fact that one's value in society is determined by their ability to contribute to the wealth of others. That is even people have been reduced to commodities and often treated as such.
so basically people are toasters... contributing toasted bread to the satisfaction of others... but never for themselves... because, they are just the toaster, with leftover crumbs... struggling to live on the scraps of electricity given to them, just enough to do their job, but never more... lol... see I was right...
No, it's due to mental illness and/or ignorance usually. Culture owes no one anything. It merely is, for better or for worse. Accept it, change it or drop out.
I'm merely speculating that the systematic alienation that's ingrained in our culture contributes to the anger that drives a mass shooter.
