Ways of Seeing

We are "surrounded by images of an alternative way of life." 'Publicity' sells us that "by spending money we will be richer, but we will be poorer." This is glamour, the state of being envied is turned into glamour. Glamour is a new idea. In previous history people were born in to nobility, therefore there was no reason to envy. Today envy is a common emotion. The meaning of an image can be changed based on location, narrative, and sound. Reproductions of art can make the work 'ambiguous.' "Publicity works on the imagination and adds up to a philosophical system." The things publicity sells are neutral, so they must be made glamourous by putting the object in a glamourous situation. The advertisements are not just proposing the item, but also an attitude and way of life.

I think any image if put in different context's can become anything the artist (or person) desires. Although the fact that advertising is used the way it is, to basically lie to the public in order to sell a product fascinates me. Not in a good way. The advertisements tell us that if we purchase a product we will be 'cool' or become a different person. By companies exploiting the human need to 'fit in' the customers purchase and purchase to follow the new 'glamour.' The objects aren't really needed for survival, the money they are spending could be used for more important things such as food and daycare. Or even for hobbies and Gas. Yet people instead buy 100's of pairs of shoes or I saw this woman with this bag so I have to go buy the $500 bag too so I can look 'High Fashion' as well. This idea of glamour abstracts the desire to fit in and turns it into a race of profits. I find it sad that people envy models and movie stars. Why not just be yourself? Why do we have to judge based on social and economical status? If we were uncivilized and back to cave man days, would we need to have the best fur coat because it looks good or because it kept me warm? When we look and the consumer market the amount of 'stuff' people buy outweighs the necessities of life. When an Ad is selling a product and a way of life, the only thing you really get when you buy the product is the product, not the way of life to go with it. Because that would mean that you would have to change as a person and deviate from your true identity. This envy of a way of life that does not exist is a social disaster. If marketers portrayed their products in actuality, I would most likely no longer find advertisements irritating. This idea of the ideal high class world is unattainable to the average person. Even if I was able to become high class I would not act as if I were. I would still live as I do now because I would not want to be a High class person. That is only my own personal feelings of course.

Ecological Realism

This article, by André Gorz , 15 Mar 2011 is a statement on economic growth and how consumerism is not helping, but destroying the world around us. The continued production using resources that took millions of years to create will be depleted within the next 10-20 years. Uranium for nuclear power plants will also be depleted within the next 30 years. Eventually there will be nothing left to use in production. Science is being used not to help the earth and humans, but to destroy the earth and provide civilization with 'things' that we want and not need. Capitalism is only a lesser version of Socialism. Economists have ignored natures slow demise and deemed it unnecessary to acknowledge.


This article is true to every word. If we do not stop using and producing products that are unneeded we will deplete the Earth of its natural resources and destroy humanity as we know it. Yet, it will not only be humanity affected, but also animals and plant life as well. If the Earth becomes sterile of life this planet will only become an exact twin to Mars. Human encroachment on our planet is going to be the death of civilization and death of much life on our planet. We have helped to speed up the climate change process. If you drive through New Jersey and New york you can see what we have done to our planet. The brown pollution filled water surrounded by death. The water cannot sustain life in the small rivers and the air itself has a distinct smell that I can only describe as 'Pollution' itself. When even life cannot be sustained in nature, how can we disregard our own wrong doing as a species? If we do not stop what we are doing all life on this planet will cease to exist. When that day does come hopefully within a few thousand years the planet will be able to have a journey of rebirth and new life will sprout.

The Persuaders

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/persuaders

The marketing/Advertising world has become cluttered and in order to market past the clutter companies then create more clutter. Ad's have become what the company wants rather than appealing to the consumers wants/needs. A brand can forge a spiritual/emotional bond with the consumer. Fill the empty place of community such as the ipod ad's. Artists(musicians are combining their videos with advertisements.) The Song's lifestyle brand attempted to create a way of life with their brand. Advertisement will eventually be in video games and movies. In some cases this has begun such as in Sex and the City in the show featuring Absolute Hunk. In Castaway FedEx was used as the main brand.

I feel that now this video is completely true and slightly behind in what is now today. Video games today such as Fight Night: Champion, when playing online, advertisements are constantly updated every week as well as an advertisement when entering online play during the loading screen. Now that people are watching less and less television and playing more video games, advertisers must find a way to pierce the game industry to allow their product to be seen. I think that by companies doing this we are only becoming numb to the presence of advertisement and we don't care to look at the product. In turn companies try to innovate to push throughout the clutter of the ad's to then attempt to reach our want to purchase. But this becomes irritating to see in every moment of life. We walk out of our house to see ad's along the streets and on our phones and computers. Is there a point where it is enough? When will companies realize that this bombardment does not help?!