Kirillos Samuel
Short Essay 2
Quotes by order of relevance to essay;
Propaganda, advertisement, media, entertainment and mass communication all play into the notion of The Spectacle. Many people gaze and admire these forms as mere pass time fun. However, these forms of outlets all have agendas from which the idea of the spectacle emerges. Therefore, what is the spectacle? The spectacle is a social relationship, it is “the boundary between life, media and consumer culture”. However, the spectacle falsifies reality and even though it serves the purpose of being a social relation it distorts views of reality, it creates an unreachable image that can only be looked at but never reached. In Guy Debord’s piece Society of the Spectacle, he highlights what the spectacle is and how it impacts the human race. The spectacle is presented as media, which revolutionizes society and becomes the spotlight in which people want to stand and be seen, however, this light is farther off than people realize.
Quote # 4 – “The spectacle is not a collection of images; it is a social relation between people that is mediated by images.”
In this quote, Debord explains to us what the spectacle is not, it is not a collection of images. This helps us see that it is not the object that is portraying the message but the message itself is in fact the spectacle. He says that it is the social relationship between people, he says this because whether people realize it or not, they are all connected in some way. They all enjoy looking at mostly the same things and are fascinated by the same materials. This is why advertisement and media work the way they do and that is because it is one object that’s tailored to appeal to millions of people all at the same time.
Quote # 3 – “The spectacle presents itself simultaneously as society itself, as a part of society, and as a means of unification. As a part of society, it is ostensibly the focal point of all vision and all consciousness. But due to the very fact that this sector is separate, it is in reality the domain of delusion and false consciousness: the unification it achieves is nothing but an official language of universal separation.”
Debord suggests that the spectacle serves the society by trying to unite it. This is true in a sense that when people look at media and advertisement, they try to become that image that they see. They become disillusioned with the trend and begin to morph into what they see. This notion that if everyone is doing it then it is fine for us to do it as well, it becomes justification for specific ideologies and behaviors. However, as beauty is in the eye of the beholder the same is also true for interpretation. The image that is interpreted by one individual is interpreted differently by another and this becomes a common scenario since no two people are exactly alike in feelings and thoughts. This causes the spectacle to become obscured and the main intent of the creator is thereafter blurred.
Quote # 12 – “The spectacle presents itself as a vast inaccessible reality that can never be questioned. Its sole message is: “What appears is good; what is good appears.” The passive acceptance it demands is already effectively imposed by its monopoly of appearances, its manner of appearing without allowing any reply.”
The spectacle puts itself above reality but does not come with a disclaimer stating such a thing. He explains that it comes with a message of what appears is good, and what is good appears. This is a direct message to the consumer. The idea of what you see is the prize and if you want to be the prize you must appear to resemble what you see. These media outlets and advertising are only one-way conversations. They give you a message without giving you space for questions or comments. An individual may speak but they will never get a reply, and this is the exact essence of the spectacle throughout the ages.
Quote # 29 – “The spectacle was born from the world’s loss of unity, and the immense expansion of the modern spectacle reveals the enormity of this loss. The abstractifying of all individual labor and the general abstractness of what is produced are perfectly reflected in the spectacle, whose manner of being concrete is precisely abstraction. In the spectacle, a part of the world represents itself to the world and is superior to it. The spectacle is simply the common language of this separation. Spectators are linked solely by their one-way relationship to the very center that keeps them isolated from each other. The spectacle thus reunites the separated, but it reunites them only in their separateness.”
Media and propaganda only started out in times in which the world was at war. This allowed for such ideas to be formed and developed. In times of war, change happens and change and morphism is the very essence of the spectacle. During war, the spectacle told people that fighting was a sign of pride and only the strong can take up this task. It was the soul of unity, yet it boasted separation but through separation, it united people to fight which greatly affected the world from that point on and it has continued to shape and influence the world through its messages.
Image 1- Kylie Advertisement for makeup line
Image 2 - Propoganda during WW2
Image 3 - Kehinde Wiley painting
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