Genessy’s 2nd Assignment

 

FOUR QUOTES

4. The spectacle is not a collection of images, but a social relation among people, mediated by images.

Explanation: The spectacle actively changes human interactions and relationships. Images influence lives and beliefs on a daily basis leading to new desires and aspirations.

5. The world already possesses the dream of a time whose consciousness it must now possess in order to actually live it.

Explanation: Individuals are already living in a time where they fantasize about a moment in which if they want to live in, they must own its existence. 

9. In a world which really is topsy-turvy, the true is a moment of the false.

Explanation: What appears to be most true about the world is based on the greatest falsity

34.  The spectacle is capital to such a degree of accumulation that it becomes an image.

Explanation: The visually striking performance is so huge that it becomes a display.

600WORDS

These theories connect to our present global pandemic in many ways. The first one of my choice states “The spectacle is not a collection of images, but a social relation among people, mediated by images.” This can be closely related to our situation because as it means that the spectacle actively changes human interactions and relationships. Images influence lives and beliefs on a daily basis leading to new desires and aspirations which is accurate because what we see on the news and the media lead us to lessen our interactions which increases our desire of wanting a better life where there is no need to be afraid, the same way it is depicted in past photos. The second quote I chose from The Society of the Spectacle by Guy-Ernest Debord was “The world already possesses the dream of a time whose consciousness it must now possess in order to actually live it.” This quote exemplifies the fact that individuals are already living in a time where they fantasize about a moment in which if they want to live in, they must own its existence. This has an interconnection with the Covid-19 pandemic in a way in which individuals are living in their imagination. This quote also goes hand in hand with Joanne Finkelstein’s “The possibility of considering the world otherwise just to see where it leads”-57 No one wants to be in this situation where we have lost homes, jobs, and even family members. In order to be able to move forward in life we must internalize that somewhere someday better will exist. Guy-Ernest Debord also states, “ In a world which really is topsy-turvy, the true is a moment of the false,” which means that what appears to be most true about the world is based on the greatest falsity. This is not only relatable to the pandemic, but many things in life like gender specific roles and stereotypes which in the end turn out to be false. In relation to the virus, we are bombarded with so much information that we no longer know what to believe. It is unfortunate that it gets to a point where you start to believe in the wrong things or simply intake false suggestions. Last but most certainly not least, “The spectacle is capital to such a degree of accumulation that it becomes an image,” can be defined as the visually striking performance being so huge that it becomes a display as it is on the map. This global pandemic has become a worldly spoken topic that we have maps to depict the number of positive cases. 

Covid -19 has affected families in numerous ways. I thank the lord himself for protecting my family from horrific times and although we have all experienced hardships at one point during this pandemic we are still okay. The image that inspired me to write about these hard times was “The Call (2019)” by Kehinde Wiley. This painting speaks to me in so many ways and allows me to go in different directions as far as explaining its meaning. Here I see unity, which is what is needed in times like these, we must stick together to get through it together, I also see protection, no one can stand in the way of this what seems to be the mother of these two women. Nonetheless, I see gender roles, I see how these women seem to have roles they must obey in their culture. In this sense we can relate the image to John Berger’s quote, “A woman's presence expresses her own attitude to herself, and defines what can and cannot be done to her.” -64 It also gives me a drawback to Bell Hooks Quote in Understanding Patriarchy where it explains “Patriarchal gender roles are assigned to us as children and we are given continual guidance about the ways we can best fulfill these roles.”

I have uploaded a portrait of my sisters, mother and I to show the comparison among the other images. My image is supposed to show unity similarly to the other paintings of Kahinde Wiley. My photograph analyzes the concept of the spectacle and its effect on us today in numerous ways depending on how the pandemic has affected you and your family. In my case we chose to stick together to get through the hard times with money and food. Without each other things may have turned out differently. 

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