Marxism

We discussed Post-Marxism and defined it for the class. We then began a discussion in the class talking about the different technologies and whether or not they fit with the Marxist or post-Marxist concepts. Technologies we talked about included google glass, golden-I, and arduino.

Classical Marxism and the Frankfurt School:

Classical Marxism is not what most people think.  Marx says, “The Mode of Production of material life conditions the social, political, and intellectual life process in general.”  To understand this we must understand the relationship between base and superstructure.

Base – Forces of production (raw materials, tools, workers, etc.) and the relations of production (slavery: master/slave, feudal: lord/peasant, capitalist: bourgeois/proletariat)

Bourgeiois – “of or characteristic of the middle class, typically with reference to its perceived materialistic values or conventional attitudes”

Proletariat – “workers or working-class people, regarded collectively (often used with reference to Marxism)”

Superstructure – consists of institutions (political, educational, cultural) and forms of social consciousness (political, philosophical, and cultural) generated by these institutions

The relationship between the base and superstructure is said to be twofold because the superstructure expresses the base, but the base conditions or determines the superstructure.

“The ideas of the ruling class are…the ruling ideas; the class ruling material force in society is..the…ruling intellectual force.”  This does NOT mean the ideas of the ruling class are meant to be imposed on subordinate classes!  “A ruling class is compelled…to represent its interest as the common interest of all the members of society…to give its ideas the form of universality, and represent them as the only rational, universally valid ones.”

The Frankfurt School is the name given to a group of German intellectuals associated with the University of Frankfurt.  I see their ideas as a type of applied Marxism; that is, what happens when you take Marxism off paper and apply it to real life.

Critical Theory – the name given to the institute’s critical mix of Marxism and psychoanalysis

The main difference between Classical Marxism and the Frankfurt School is seen through comparing the above quotes with the following: “The Frankfurt School see only ‘conformity’: a situation in which ‘the deceived masses’ are caught in a ‘circle of manipulation and retroactive need in which the unity of the system grows ever stronger.”

Althusserianism and Hegemony:

Althusserianism is a version of Marxism that was developed by Thomas Althusser.  Rejecting the base/superstructure concepts of Marxism, Althusserians focus on social formation, referred to as the structure in dominance.  The belief behind structure in dominance is that large social practices are the result of the economy.  For example, we are all students at LSU because jobs have become scarcer and we want to be able to compete for them.

Althusser has two types of interpretation: Symptomatic Interpretation and Identifying people as members of a group. The Symptomatic Interpretation focuses on identifying a problematic.  The problematic is a term coined by Marx during his critique of Adam Smith’s work.  Marx believed Adam Smith was addressing a problem by providing a solution, without the question being posed.  An example of and Althusserian problematic would be a typical car commercial.  Most car advertisements focus a car driving quickly on an empty road near an ocean, canyon, or mountain with the ending addressing the gas mileage and cost.  The problematic in this type of media would have several meanings

1)   Because the car is driving on an empty road, a buyer will never be stuck in traffic in this car

2)   Because the car is driving through a scenic route, the car and nature can coexist, without the car causing any harm to the environment.  This is also emphasized through the listing of the gas mileage.

3)   Because the car is “only $25,000”, the extra excluded costs of gas and insurance will not effect the buyer’s decision to get the car.

Although the problematic in this example is deceiving to the buyer, it helps the car sell.  Machery was an Althusserian who believed in relating the problematic to a historical event.  For example, the movie The Shining, Althusser would say the problematic is identifying the connection between mental illness and murder because of the insanity Jack develops.  Machery on the other hand would say that The Shining is addressing the problems of racism, specifically the terror inflicted on the Native Americans when the white man inhabited the United States due to constant tribal symbols placed in the movie, and the only victim of murder is Black.

The interpretation of Althusser does not seem to be affective.  Althusser would group people by social beliefs, and address them through their beliefs.   An example of why this is ineffective would be the social issue of racism.  If a person claimed to be opposed to racism but laughs at a racist joke, Althusser could not group that individual by that belief. This interpretation has been seen to effective in the media through advertising.  Most commercials address people by saying things like “This product is perfect for you!” “Do you travel a lot? Then you should buy this!” By identifying people in groups, Advertisement can reach a wide range of people.

Hegemony is a type of democratic government in which the dominant group leads the inferior group intellectually and morally.  This belief is how Marxists explain the success of capitalistic democracies.  Hegemony only works if every individual in the society is concerned with his or her own success.  For example, in the previous political election, republicans would have typically voted for Mitt Romney, rather than democratic nominee, Barrack Obama.  Hegemony is not only incorporated into government, but also in pop culture.  A good example of this would be Justin Bieber.  Not everyone likes Justin Bieber’s music, but nearly everyone knows who he is and has heard his music.  In this situation, it is in everyone’s best interest to know that Justin Bieber is successful pop star, in the social aspect.  But not everyone is going to go buy and listen to his music.

Self Reflection

            “You didn’t like my picture on Facebook!” I told my cousin one day, referencing a picture of my acceptance to an Italian University, feeling like she did not care about my accomplishment.  “Do you really care if I like your pictures?” she confusedly replied.  To her, Facebook is simply a communication tool.  I saw Facebook as just a communication tool too, or at least I thought I did.  Why did I care if she publicly liked my accomplishment when she already told me how she was proud of me in ‘real life’.  When did my self worth become tied into this profile?  My Facebook profile should be a superficial reflection of me at best, just enough that I can be recognized as myself when communicating with others.  Having this profile though, especially at a time where popular culture has amplified the appeal of and desire for physical beauty, has caused a change in my brain chemistry that makes me concern myself over how this superficial reflection makes me look.

            Reading the chapter on narcissism in Rosen’s iDisorder ‘Media Starts with “Me”, I had a shocking revelation.  I am a huge narcissist.  I already knew that I was mildly narcissistic, but I did not realize it was to this extent.  I scour my photos for the perfect profile picture.  I ‘untag’ myself in pictures where I do not look good.  I try to perfect this superficial reflection, this profile that others identify as me.  Why do I do this?  Is it because it’s easier to change my portrayal on the Internet than it is to change myself in real life?

            I’m still reflecting on this, but do y’all have any thoughts on the subject?  Do y’all find yourselves doing the same things?

Every year, The Edge poses a question to 150 of the top minds in the world. This year's question was "What should we be worried about?" Recognized a few names in the list that were pretty interesting.. "That digital technologies are sapping our patience and changing our perception of time." –Nicholas G. Carr “I worry we have yet to have a conversation about what seems to be a developing 'new normal' about the presence of screens in the playroom and kindergarten” -Sherry Turkle

KTD- Kissing Transmission Device
Perhaps one of the most unique devices examined this semester, the Kissing Transmission Device is truly a feat of modern technology.  The simple, yet profound device, developed in the Kajimoto Laboratory in Tokyo, marks the introduction of the first new medium of communication since the cell phone.
With the ability to instantaneously talk to anyone around the world via phone or internet messaging, the only thing that had been missing from long distance communication, prior to this invention, was physical contact.  The purpose of the KTD is to fill that void.
The device is simple enough- just a small box with a small, slightly bent rod sticking out.  This rod acts as a "tongue" that is manipulated by the tongue of the user.  The movement of the rod is then transmitted to and replicated by another device, either simultaneously or after a period of time if the motion is recorded.
The practical application is fairly straightforward, couples in long distance relationships now at least have a semblance of contact with their partner.  The device could also be used by celebrities to send a message to their fans that would certainly be much more intimate than a "tweet", according to the device's creator.
The device isn't without downsides, however.  Anyone who has experienced a kiss can vouch for the fact that it isn't exactly the same as rotating a robotic rod with your tongue.  A much deeper problem lies in the device's "telos", which Sherry Turkle addresses in Alone Together.  She notes, "The blurring of intimacy and solitude may reach its starkest expression when a robot is proposed as a romantic partner."  Although there is another person operating the other end of the device, it does represent the steady disintegration of true, meaningful, human interaction.
What's next? Who knows, but it will be interesting (or depressing) to see.

Race, Racism, and Representation

                Biologically, there is only one human race. All people belong to the genus and species Homo sapiens. The construct of differences based upon skin color is created an idea created by humans. Racism is a social and political hierarchy in which different divisions are placed above one another based upon observed trait. Historically, race and racism stem from one main event in the West’s history: Slavery and the slave trade.

 The beginning of racism can be traced back to the beginning of slavery. As soon as the economic advantages were realized, slavery was something that light-skinned people wanted to keep and protect because they were reaping the benefit. The idea that slaves were lower in the human hierarchy stems from the protection of slavery for economic gain. This view point allowed the sentiment to spread that slavery was acceptable because slaves were inferior to people who have lighter skin. Racism, however, did not end with slavery. The sentiment against people with darker skin lingered in the West becoming ingrained in society. People of lighter skin did not want to mix with the ‘inferior’ races due to a personal protection of their superiority. By the 1800’s, the human race had almost completely been split into the superior lighter-skinned people and the inferior darker-skinned people.

While slavery was the reason that racism is so widespread, sentiment was not changed when it was abolished. The ideas of superiority and hierarchy based upon skin did not go away. Laws have been created to stop blatant segregation between people due to race, religion, or culture, but that does not mean the end of racism, either. The fact remains that small forms of separation of races still linger today. Today, racism is defined as more of a separation of people of different skin colors and the judgment based upon stereotypes. Just as literature was influenced in the years after slavery to continue a form of this segregation, technology today is still slightly influenced its movement to a small degree. Today, most technology that is geared to a certain race is created to please a stereotype.

While the technology itself does not necessarily prefer one race to another, the marketing and advertisement of the technology does show a preference. Many different technologies that aid in a healthy lifestyle will advertise themselves to white, younger women. This demographic then feel that the technologies is made for them and they tend to buy it more. Other products like the Beats headphones market itself to black people who are in their teens and early adulthood. The advertisements pick a demographic to advertise to so that they have the best chance of making a profit. The advertisement may, however, be indirectly suggesting a certain class of people to buy a technology by using a certain race in the advertisements. Statistics state that more white families are of a higher financial class than black families. Therefore, an apple product would use a white model to advertise a new, expensive technology. This is not meant to necessarily target a race, but instead uses race as a means to entice a social class.

Racism is still present in today’s society. In the interviews, most people said that they do still see racism around them. Not as many people, however, saw racism as a trend in the creation of technologies. Instead, they suggested that the technologies like Facebook provided a means of racism occurring in society, especially anonymously. So, while race and racism are not factors that mold the creation of new technologies, it does still affect the technologies in society today. 

take a year off from the internet

What happens to your life when you take a year off from the internet?  This man did just that and wrote about it.  Check it out:

http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/1/4279674/im-still-here-back-online-after-a-year-without-the-internet