In the first chapter of "On Photography" Susan Sontag focuses on the meanings of photograph and on the art of taking photos. As Sontag writes "...photographs alert and enlarge our notions of what is worth looking at and what we have the right to observe." (pg 3) and that photographs are are "...ethics of seeing.." (pg 3) Photographs allow us to explore all different kids of experiences and allow us to what what is going on in the world. She also goes on to say that photographs are mysterious that we recognize as modern. You can see photographs everywhere you are, magazines, books, advertisement as well as our personal photo albums etc. Photographs provide us with knowledge that we have about our pasts.They give valuable information from which we can learn. Photographs are sort of miniatures of the reality that we see today. They are like puzzle pieces to the bigger picture.
Sontag also spends a good few pages talking about photography in today's world. That taking photos has become so widely practiced that "...like every mass art form, photography is not practiced by most people as an art" (pg 8) She talks about how photography, just like many other different technological things has become a way for people to make their lives more interesting. That it is no longer about having those meaningful memories to have, it is about showing other people that you are having a good time. As she writes "Photographs will offer indisputable evidence that the trips was made, that the program was carried out, that fun was had." (pg 9) Not many people anymore go on a trip without having their cameras with them. Some people take it for the memories or to admire the beauty of what they are seeing, but for a lot of people it just becomes proof of having done something. It is no longer about the beauty of a natural pictograph, it i "a way of certifying experiences..." (pg 9)
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
The Corporation
The film "The Corporation" touches on a few aspects of culture and identity. The main point of the film was to show that the corporate world is taking over in every aspect of our lives. It focuses and tries to brainwash all generation. The movie was meant as a big warning sign, it was trying to tell us that if there are no limitation put on big corporation they soon will be able to do anything. They are trying "to devour as much profit at any expense" and they are only concerned about "shot term profit" and have no consequences for their actions.The movie compares the corporate world to a big shark ready to attack its prays. There must be some way to stop all the manipulation and brainwashing that big corporations do. There has to b some room for self imagination and self exploration.
The movie touched on a good point, these corporations do produce valuable and good products that help to make the lives of Americans easier and better every day. However, it is never enough product and never enough profit that is being made, which consumes the corporate world all in itself. How can children be creative and be able to find their own identities in a world where everything is being spoon fed to them through the television. Children are becoming the targets for advertising. Commercials are meant for children themselves, to show them that they NEED a toy in order to be liked or popular or cool or whatever the case may be. These techniques are used to make children think they need a product so that they will go an nag their parents, so their parents will go out and but a toy, game or a item of clothing for them. Children are self with no sense of identity when their entire world is based on fitting in and having what the other kids have. I feel that it getting worse and worse every day and it is not only affecting little kids today, but also their parents and their grandparents. I feel that when i was growing up in Europe thing were not this bad. Us kids were left to use our imaginations somehow, to go out and explore different kids of sports, dance activities. We were left to figure ourselves out on our own, where as now it is all about what s on TV or what the latest video game is.
The movie also talks about the corporate world and compares it to a psychopath. It says that corporations, just like psychopaths have the "incapacity to maintain enduring relationships", have "reckless disregard for human health", "incapacity to experience guilt" and "failure to conform to social norms". It is about time that someone in the corporate world answers for all these things and is no longer treated as this Almighty thing that has the same rights as a human being. The fact that these corporations have no regard for human health is mind boggling. The movie said that individuals that work for these corporations might be the sweetest people you meet, but as a whole they turn into monsters. How can a group of decent human beings turn into monsters? Where there is an expression "money talks" and these corporations get so consumed by making profit and making money, getting power, because money is power that they loose a sense of self. Well more restrictions should be put of these corporations and we as people should really think about how this effects us as human beings and us as individuals.
The movie touched on a good point, these corporations do produce valuable and good products that help to make the lives of Americans easier and better every day. However, it is never enough product and never enough profit that is being made, which consumes the corporate world all in itself. How can children be creative and be able to find their own identities in a world where everything is being spoon fed to them through the television. Children are becoming the targets for advertising. Commercials are meant for children themselves, to show them that they NEED a toy in order to be liked or popular or cool or whatever the case may be. These techniques are used to make children think they need a product so that they will go an nag their parents, so their parents will go out and but a toy, game or a item of clothing for them. Children are self with no sense of identity when their entire world is based on fitting in and having what the other kids have. I feel that it getting worse and worse every day and it is not only affecting little kids today, but also their parents and their grandparents. I feel that when i was growing up in Europe thing were not this bad. Us kids were left to use our imaginations somehow, to go out and explore different kids of sports, dance activities. We were left to figure ourselves out on our own, where as now it is all about what s on TV or what the latest video game is.
The movie also talks about the corporate world and compares it to a psychopath. It says that corporations, just like psychopaths have the "incapacity to maintain enduring relationships", have "reckless disregard for human health", "incapacity to experience guilt" and "failure to conform to social norms". It is about time that someone in the corporate world answers for all these things and is no longer treated as this Almighty thing that has the same rights as a human being. The fact that these corporations have no regard for human health is mind boggling. The movie said that individuals that work for these corporations might be the sweetest people you meet, but as a whole they turn into monsters. How can a group of decent human beings turn into monsters? Where there is an expression "money talks" and these corporations get so consumed by making profit and making money, getting power, because money is power that they loose a sense of self. Well more restrictions should be put of these corporations and we as people should really think about how this effects us as human beings and us as individuals.
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