Creating Meaning Within Context

Foucault discusses the many meanings of power and how we need to understand which context it is being used in in order to truly understand the meaning. This becomes a detailed example of Storey's introduction to Foucault in which he explains that discourse gives a subject meaning rather than acting only as an example of it. So, Foucault's examples of powerr are not necessary representations of power, but ways in which power is given meaning. In regards to this, he also talks about sexuality in relation to power and gives several rules for how we...

Are Our Sims Our Real Selves?

Since its release in 2000, The Sims have sold over 150 million copies. This includes three generations of the game with numerous expansions and custom content created for each iteration. In spite of its success, it's not hard to wonder why a game about living just as we do in our daily lives has become so popular? Why do we spend our time off of work or school just to make our virtual selves do the same activities? Certainly...

Reality and the Real

Zizek first discuss Zeno's paradoxes, then moves on to explain the real and reality in relation to literature which comes from the ideas of Freud and Lacan. Zeno's paradoxes describe that we can never truly reach what we are moving toward, that our needs change form as they become desires and, finally, that we can never cover a distance because we first have to go half of it, but before that we must cover a fourth of the distance, and this continues to shrink as we look at space. Thus, we never reach our end goal, because we must constantly set...

The Mirror Stage of Self-Understanding

Lacan brings the concept of the mirror stage into Freud's concept of psychoanalysis. It is the idea that before we have knowledge of the world, or can even put thoughts into words, we can look at ourselves in the mirror and see ourselves. This becomes one of our first concepts of the world which leads to further self-discovery. This allows people to create a relationship between themselves and their reality, a concept refered to as imago. This happens before society begins to tell us what to think. He ends by explaining that psychonalysis performed...

Looking Past Marxism

Laclau and and Mouffe explain why Marxism needs to be altered to become more modern and allow for the globalization of culture and the economy. They discuses the flaws which hold back Marxism and they spend some time critiquing Geras' views. They explain that Marxism expected a uniform society, but this is just not possible, though they do believe each person should be involved in this transformation. To change our perspective, Laclau and Mouffe suggest we all must be aware of history in order to participate in change. Laclau and Mouffe clearly...

Influences on Culture

Many writers have been trying to determine the relationship between culture and the people who either consume or make it. Marx viewed this in a way that some them closely related. He explains that at some point, it will be inevitable for society's views to affect the production of culture in its current form. Following Marx, Engels discussed culture in relation to economics. While many people would assume economics to be the sole force of influence in the production of culture, he disagrees and explains that there are many other things that influence...

Can Nerd Culture Still Be Considered a Culture?

The term ‘nerd’ has taken on a number of meanings over time. It was once used to refer to a person who is socially inept or exceptionally good at science or math. It sometimes still is used in this way; however, a much more common understanding is that it refers to a person who is exceptionally passionate about a subject. This vagueness has led an increase in the number of people who classify as a nerd and the values within ‘nerd culture’ are causing conflict.  One video, where Wil Wheaten, a fellow nerd, discusses why being a nerd is...

Genre as a Loose Frame

Bazerman outlines the ways texts are classified into genres and discusses the methodologies necessary to understanding these texts when they may fit into multiple or no set genre which provides a way of thinking about the organization of the texts and the way they affect social groups. He gives several terms which can be used to understand this process such as social facts which are the things people believe to be true and speech acts which lead to a person or group taking action based on what has been said. These terms, along with the others he...

Breaking Away From Leviasism: Cultural Analysis of the 1950s-60s

In his chapter on culturalism, Storey discusses the writings of several authors regarding their views on the subject and how they follow some of Leavisism's ideas and where they separate from it. First, Hoggart talks about the way culture changed from the 1930s to 1950s. In the 1930s he thought it lead to "the rich full life" but no longer held the same view about the 1950s. It had changed into something that the industries could use to exploit the masses and was much more shallow. Next, he looks at Williams' ideas on culture. He considers three...

Writing: A Web of Conversation

Cooper discusses the ecological model of writing, which she considers to be an ideal. She explains problems that arose as the way writing was taught shifted. Writing was seen as a reclusive task. It gave writers the ability to only consider their ideas and to know they were original ideas. This has shifted, however, into the ecological model which considers the importance of the social aspect of writing. It can be used as a means for students and teachers to connect in the classroom. She suggests that the ecological model is a way for people to...

United... Separately

These chapters provide an overview of the changing opinions of culture. What stuck out most to me was the idea that culture can bring people together or separate them. I immediately thought of an example of pop culture regarding this idea. Within pop culture there are many fan bases which bring the fans of those shows, movies or artists together. They are able to unite over a common idea, but when another fan base seeks to threaten the existence of another, they are no longer united. Arnold suggests that culture can be a fix to problems and work...