Chapter 7 & 8

7
In this chapter, the authors discussed about capitalism and consumer cultures. Capitalism depends on production and consumption, so people are encouraged to consume more than what they need. In other words, this type of consumption is not because of necessity but desire. In order to generate desire and legitimate unnecessary spending, the capitalists create the feeling that life in modern society is troubling and unfulfilled, and that consumption can lead to self-fulfillment. Therefore, consumption is therapeutic and good/necessary for our mental health, as it fills our emotional needs. Through consumption, people can get the identity and sense of belonging that they are looking for. For example, we buy Clemson T-shirts to show that we identify with the school. Consumption also evolved as a form of leisure and pleasure. Shopping is no longer a chore but a type of entertainment. The purpose of shopping is not to buy products, but to enjoy the shopping experience. Many people find pleasure in buying things for other people. Even window shopping becomes popular because it brings visual pleasure.

Moreover, capitalism and consumption create the illusion that shopping can fulfill our desire, yet this desire can never really be fulfilled. The consumers’ desire must always be sustained so that people can buy more and more things. Lacan’s notion of lack and desire can explain the situation. The subject’s lack will always exist. The object of one’s desire can never fill the lack, because the object of desire will be replaced by another object in a chain of replacements. Once people actually get the object of their desire, its charm disappears. From the capitalist perspective, when designing and selling a product, the lifespan of the product cannot be too long, or else consumers will not buy a new one. Recently there’s a commercial about a brand of everlasting gum. The gum lasts so long that the manufacturers are begging consumers to start chewing the second piece. This is why companies are always coming up with newer versions of their products, so that even when consumers already have the product, they will be intrigued by the latest fashion.

From this respect, it might be easier to sell an experience rather than a product. Experience is not something that people can hang on to. In order to get the same pleasant experience, they must purchase again and again. For example, coffee shops are selling not only the coffee, but the whole atmosphere and café experience. The tourism industry is all about selling travel experiences. Tourists can take photos and buy souvenirs, but the desire for the travel experience can never be fulfilled. The famous slogan for Las Vegas is: “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” This slogan is telling tourists that they cannot take the Las Vegas experience home, so that tourists have to come again and again.

8
Postmodernism is about questions. The postmodern tradition is to question the universal truth, fundamental knowledge, and the origin of power and authority. The purpose is to shake the very foundation of our beliefs and to deconstruct all assumptions and dominant ideologies. But even though postmodernism claims that there are multiple truths instead of one big Truth, there is still one central idea in postmodernism—that there is no Truth, no reality, no authenticity, and so on. I’m not sure if I’m making any sense (I’m not even sure if I understand postmodernism), but is there a way for postmodernism to deconstruct itself? Or that it is still dominated by one main thought.

In order to question the master narratives, simulation and remix became popular forms of postmodern art. Through remakes, parodies, fragmentation, and appropriation, people are able to reflect upon their understanding of the world and different systems of meaning. In this chapter, the authors used Shrek and The Simpsons as examples of remake. Shrek and The Simpsons are both popular in Taiwan, but I think for people from non-western cultures, it’s very difficult to understand and appreciate the hidden meanings and references in these parodies, so people may just think that Shrek and The Simpsons are cute or funny. So I am thinking: What makes a good remake? Shrek and The Simpsons are good examples, and I also like the TV show, That 70’s Show, which uses a lot of parodies. But there are also some movies like Date Movie, Epic Movie, and Not Another Teen Movie, and some of them are just awful. So what makes a successful postmodern remake and what not?