Read the second half of Chapter 7, then give some thought to the following questions and leave your response in the Comments section:
1) Discuss the following section from this chapter: "The power to spend money is the power to live. According to the legends of publicity, those who lack the power to spend money become literally faceless." -- Why does the author connect the idea of one's visual image to one's power?
2) The author writes, "Publicity turns consumption into a substitute for democracy"?! This is a shocking statement. What do you think about this? What does it mean in your life? Is it true in your life?
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ReplyDelete1) Because people are far more driven by visuals than by anything else. It reminds me of Stanley Milgram's obedience theory- If a person is dressed in a manner that suggests power or authority, most individuals will obey their every command, not matter the negative repercussions of the action. The same applies to people with the high/expensive fashion image. It's an unconscious connection; if a person has seemingly expensive attire, they must be rich, and if they are rich, they either have connections with powerful people or they are the powerful people.
ReplyDelete2) I think it refers to more people being spoon-fed trivial "news" stories of celebrities and talentless socialites, in stark contrast to the few who involve themselves with current events on their own accord. Just looks at the magazine stands at a supermarkets checkout line; There are far more lackadaisical People magazines than there are informative Newsweek type prints. Cheap stories that are only important for a week matter more to people than the ones that will affect them for years to come.
-Melissa
1) The media portrays the rich and famous as the epitome of human culture. If one can not be recognized by the media due to their lack of wealth, then they become meaningless. They are unimportant to the rest of the world and are therefor "faceless." They become just another being living on the planet.
ReplyDelete2) What the quote is trying to say is that we, as the consumers, are satisfied with consuming. We eat, live, and breathe off of the news and stories of others. We no longer care about getting our voices heard, but instead we listen to whatever is thrown at us and we accept it faithfully. I will personally just listen to the news and accept that as a reality. The News Reporters' opinions become mine as I have not, nor do I plan on thoroughly investigating the stories they detail.
-Liam
1) Discuss the following section from this chapter: "The power to spend money is the power to live. According to the legends of publicity, those who lack the power to spend money become literally faceless." -- Why does the author connect the idea of one's visual image to one's power?
ReplyDeleteThe author connects the idea of one's visual image to one's power because the media makes our apperance and how we look everything. If we look weathly, we are someone but if we look like we lack in wealth we are nothing and have nothing.
2) The author writes, "Publicity turns consumption into a substitute for democracy"?! This is a shocking statement. What do you think about this? What does it mean in your life? Is it true in your life?
I think this means we enjoy being the consumers and don't care anymore that we are somewhat sabatoged by media. It doesn't mean much in my life I believe in staying true to your beliefs and not letting media and what others do affect me.
Debbie Barbiero
1) Visual image is everything, its a conscious and unconscious representation of who you really are, embellished or truthful. Person who has no money or lack of "spending power" is disregarded, that person is average. Now you meet some one who is rich and immediately we are intrigued, their is a mysterious allure to the person. This man or woman must be a hardworking, smart, entrepreneurial, dedicated, powerful, respected person and all these other great things. Advertising seeks to put these ideas that we can be that person by selling us the "ends" without us actually having the "means". This is why i think the author connects image with power, what he is suggesting is we are only playing dress up. looking the part so that we resemble power. So in short we are attracted to symbols (the "ends") rather then the transformation and character growth (the "means") needed to express the final result we would like. Which is why loosing weight and get rich quick schemes make bank $$$ ,we want the end result without putting in work. But we fall into these loop holes because of insecurities and/or judgment that are reinforced with stupid quotes like this one, ""The power to spend money is the power to live". When in reality it is reversed, through truly living i believe that everything else will come in abundance including money. But our society is built on that quote we are going to school, to get a well paying jobs, to then maybe just maybe have freedom and happiness, but hey at least to distract all these years we have drinking and partying ;)
ReplyDelete(ps i just dropped mad knowledge hope this is being presented)
2) Its a way of life now and its how we are runned and we accept it. I like to think i don't take in standards that are presented and that i think outside the box more by taking everything with a grain of salt but it is difficult not to at all times.
-Mike O-
Those who have money to spend have an image to others of higher power or class. People who can't afford the products that our society is being faced with are looked at as less powerful.
ReplyDeleteConsumption is a huge governing factor in our society. People we continue to consume as long as the publicity is present in our lives.
-Alisha Mazzocchi