Austin Short Essay #2

Guy Debord's Society of the Spectacle (first published 1967)

The spectacle is the idea and critique that society is obsessed with appearance and looks than reality itself. We see it every day and everywhere, whether it's on billboards while we drive, the radio, television, and even on all social media platforms that are used by the masses. The idea of the spectacle comes from the book called “The Society of the Spectacle” which was first published in 1967 by Guy Debord who is a theorist and philosopher. 

Guy Debord states “Separation is the alpha and omega of the spectacle” (Chapter 25). I believe that Debord is stating that separation in the spectacle is the division of media and reality as well as the division of people. Media creates false narratives of what the ideal life could be and many people do not live up to it which causes many issues in today’s society. It also causes separation between people who are not fortunate to achieve what is telling them to be. The spectacle presents itself as a positive thing but is affecting people in a negative way under the surface. The spectacle pushes multiple images of what a “perfect” person looks like and whoever does not fit that description falls behind. It creates the notion that anyone that is not what media projects them to be will not be successful. 

Guy Debord also states “The root of the spectacle is that oldest of all social specializations, the specialization of power. The spectacle plays the specialized role of speaking in the name of all the other activities. It is hierarchical society’s ambassador to itself, delivering its messages at a court where no one else is allowed to speak. The most modern aspect of the spectacle is thus also the most archaic.” (Chapter 23). I believe that Debord is trying to explain that the spectacle is used as a way to control the masses. It creates a hierarchy that does not give people who fall at the bottom of a voice to speak. It is mind-blowing that this book was written more than 50 years ago and a lot of the concepts are more relevant now than they were before. The spectacle disguises itself as the voice for the people when in all actuality it is going against society. 

Guy Debord states “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.” (Chapter 12). The spectacle sets up a false reality that is hard for a normal person to live by. It's almost like chasing something that is also impossible for the average person to achieve which causes false hope. I consider the spectacle as decievement because the people who appear to have it all, they really have nothing. We see superstars like Whitney Houston, Britney Spears, and many more celebrities who appeared to have fame and fortune but in reality, they were miserable and living a private life that wasn’t expected by the masses. 

Lastly, Guy Debord states  “In a world that has really been turned upside down, the truth is a moment of the false.” (Chapter 9) I believe that Debord is trying to say that the media is trying to project the glamour that is shown in advertisements and televisions are more real than what actually the reality is. Many commercials, films, and television have a mainly white cast when in reality the world is very diverse however, the media is trying to push the narrative that they are the only people on earth when in fact that is not true. 

“Seeing comes before words. The child looks and recognizes before it can speak” (Berger, 1) I connect this quote to the spectacle because as a child we cannot control what we see. If we only see one thing projected in the media then that causes us to believe it because it is all that is shown. It affects our children in so many ways because the spectacle is showing them a false future. “The way we see things is affected by what we know or what we believe.” (Berger 2) I connect with this quote because many people grow up without seeing reality portrayed correctly in the media. When young children are sponges to their environment and vision is their language to the world when they can't speak. Repetition is considered an effective way to have things burned into one's memory and if repeated images of false reality are constantly being shown to them, then they will end up believing in that.  In conclusion, Guy Debord did a great job at breaking down this idea of the spectacle and makes us see how society is being deceived.