Culture Jam-Free Write
I found the Introduction to be very informative, and sincerely helpful in preparing the reader for the purpose of the book. Culture Jam was written to catalyze a paradigm shift away from consumerism and corrupt advertising, toward a more sincere, authentic society. A big theme was civil disobedience. The author emphasizes that consumerism is unethical to the core, and thus working to “jam it” is inherently the ethical thing to do. This is a philosophical statement, and I LOVE IT. Basically, civilly disobeying advertisements and boycotting big corporations is what needs to happen.
A beautiful quote on page six which I underlined: “If the Earth felt less like something out there, and more like an extension of our bodies, we’d care for it like kin.”
I read the first seventy pages of Culture Jam over spring break. I did Alternative Spring Break this year, which means that I volunteered my time to do social work with a team of ten UVM students. Our group went to Macon, Georgia to work at a community food shelf, as well as an after-school club for impoverished children. The culture in the South, or “Bible-Belt”, is much more capitalistic, conservative, and consumerist than what I am used to in Vermont. On the road trip down there, one thing that really stood out were the billboards. As soon as we crossed the Vermont border, giant advertisements were everywhere along the highways. I feel that they invade a person’s free will because it is nearly impossible not to see them, and be influenced. The one that struck me most, by far, was one in South Carolina that read: “Get US (The United States) out of the United Nations”. I was appalled that such a statement would be written on a sign the size of a building. Yes, it is the right of the public to voice their political concerns, and I will admit that I am not always pleased with the United Nations, or at least the behavior of the United States as a member of the United Nations. Anyway, that message really emphasized how conservative the South really is. The United Nations aims to alleviate global poverty. How could a group of people be against that? The only reason I can come up with is economical. The conservative “Right” may believe that the UN restricts the freedom of the US by placing limits on how corrupt we can be towards other, poorer nations in order to make a buck.
In 1886, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that corporations have protection under the Bill of Rights, and therefore the right to free speech. This gives huge corporations the same rights as private citizens. Equal, right? Wrong! Corporations have far more financial and political resources than any individual. The free speech exercised by a corporation is inherently meant to influence billions of people. In my opinion, corporations, by having protection under the Bill of Rights, actually have more power in the democratic system than the people themselves. By 1919, corporations controlled 80% of the workforce. To me, it seems characteristic of a dictatorship for just one (or a few) powerful entities to control the majority of a given population. A main task of our government is to allocate resources, or manage the economic system. When a handful of vitally linked conglomerates control most of the GDP of our nation, who is really in charge? Can it be that the capitalist economic system has actually become the government, rather than economics being merely a sector of democracy? There is literally NO LIMIT to how large and powerful a corporation can become. They are free to become more powerful than entire countries, and they have.
One of my favorite sections was "Ecology of Mind", because it discussed all of the physiological problems that are rampant in Western culture, likely as a result of media brainwashing. I would like to look deeper into the correlation between watching television and the onset of childhood ADHD and adult depression/anxiety. In addition, there is really something to be said about the ever expanding division of GDP and overall happiness of a nation. Beyond a certain GDP, the wealth of a nation can no longer determine the comfort and happiness of the citizens. This has become the case in the US, likely because we try to buy things to heal our sorrows. I think the Beatles said it best: "Can't buy me love!"
I really could go on and on about my disdain for consumer culture, and I could find a great quote from nearly every of the first 70 pages, but it is nearly midnight, so I will save it for class discussion on Tuesday.
Excellent post Meg! LOTS to say for sure. I too resonate with so much of what Lasn asserts. I enjoyed your observations over your alternative spring break. Yeah for Vermont's anti-billboard legislation! And you are right on when you ask the question of who is really in charge, the government or the corporations. We'll be viewing a film called "The Corporation" over the next two weeks, and we'll discuss this very question. Lastly, I attended a parenting workshop entitled, Simplicity Parenting (you would have loved it!), and the presenter was a psychologist who worked with ADHD kids. He found when he severely reduced these kids' outside stressors - including all the tecnology - their ADHD literally disappeared. REALLY! I have a CD of his talk if you're interested...
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