Sontag on Photography

In her book “Susan Sontag On Photography”, Susan outlines the history of photography and it’s achievements along the way. Susan interprets the emotions we express, and the importance photography plays in our lives. In her first chapter Susan compares the camera in relation to the photographer she writes, “Photographs are really experience captured, and the camera is the ideal arm in the acquisitive mood”. Susan makes a distinction between photography practiced as an art, and photography taken as a “social rite, a defense against anxiety, and a tool of power”.
Over time photography became more than just an art form, it could be used to benefit our daily lives. Photography has made a major impact on the medical world, allowing doctors to capture images during surgery or to organize their research, and help save lives. When dealing with a criminal case a picture can prove guilt or innocence in the court of law.
A photograph, Susan says, is an important tool that can be used in educating people on things that they have no way of seeing. Things like far away countries, and outer space can be viewed and studies by anyone. As Susan mentions photography is a perfect medium to transfer ideas and facts about the past.

CULTURE JAMMNG CORPORATE CONSCIOUS AMERICA

In Naomi Klein’s book entitled No Logo she concentrates on expressing the negative behaviors of major corporations, the workings of their tricky add campaigns, and the public’s reaction to their media. Naomi describes her own personal accounts of unfolding the truths behind some major marketing schemes, and interviews with people who bring awareness to the dangers of “high name-brand recognition” companies.

In the early twenty’s legendary advertising agent Bruce Barton altered the face of General Motors Corporation to promote something “personal warm and human”. As Naomi writes, he turned GM into a metaphor for the American Family. Barton wanted the public to feel a special personal connection with the company. He explained that advertising was more than just a label or a catchphrase but a “corporate consciousness”, and its role was to help companies find their “soul”.

I the chapter entitled “culture Jamming” Naomi explains the principals of culture jamming through a story. Jorge Rodriguez de Gerada, an active culture jammer, began manipulating tobacco and alcohol billboards in his neighborhood to stop their harmful messages from reaching the kids. Usually manipulating the billboards to portray a mocking of the company’s advertisement, Rodriguez does his work during the day to attract attention to the message he is sending. This is not the first cultural jam against the advertising industry; popular magazines depicting the “ideal woman” fueled the feminist strike against the potentially dangerous imagery. Soon the covers of these magazines were being defaced (or as I prefer culturally jammed) by women, writing things like “feed me” over the pictures of skinny models.

No Logo in my opinion is a good representation of the many problems we have with corporations and advertising. She identifies the major hazards of corporate advertising and production scandals, giving us the knowledge we need to construct better choices in the future.

NO LOGO

In her book “No Logo” Naomi Klein sets her aim at bringing awareness to the dangers of “high name-brand recognition” companies. In her book she sides with the young emerging “anticorporate” activists, who she says will eventually create a political movement strong enough to pose major opposition against transnational companies promoting large brand names.
At the introduction of the book she tells a story of a garment factory in Indonesia that she visited, ware the workers weren’t being properly compensated for their long workdays. Naomi asks the worker what brand and type of garment they were making at the factory, he replyed London Fog Jackets. To her astonishment Naomi relised that the store that used to be below her apartment made London Fog jackets, and it was forced to close down due to the company outsourcing to Indonesia. What Naomi wants us to take home with this story is that instead of having our products made ware the working conditions are substandard and the workers are treated unfairly, have them made in America ware the job conditions will be regulated.
When you see a produt that costs much more than it normaily should you have to wonder if its really worth it. In the fashion world the brand name Tommy Hilfiger is quite recognizable. His line of Jeans is within the ranks of Levie, but the best part is Tommy Hilfiger doesn’t manufacture anything at all. Licensing agreements allows companies like Pepe and London to manufacture his jeans, and Jockey to produce his underwear with his name on it. As Kline points out, he is not in the business of manufacturing clothes but signing his name.
These are the types of issues that we cannot stand for in our modern world. Naomi Klein is determined that the public idea of brand-name products can be altered in the future.

The Culture Industry...Selling Culture

Authors Theodore Adorno and Max Horkheimer present a strong opposition to the current American (capitalist) society in their book The Culture Industry. In the chapter Enlightenment as Mass Deception, it tells us of how Adorno and Horkheimer believe that our capitalistic society is really undermining the people who become part of it's trend. They say that modern music and art, are just repeated “cookie cutter” images and sounds to please the tasteless public. They use examples of artists like Schoonberg (composer) and Picasso (painter) to represent their interpretation of true music and art; as artists like these broke social norms of the time in order to produce new material.
Adorno and Horkheimer argue that the perception of the consumer changes, after exposure to the high volume of advertising our society offers. They now need to consume popular goods in order to blend in with the rest of society. However this isn’t the case for everyone, Adorno and Horkheimer recognized that some consumers aren’t fooled by brand name and fancy labels. Their position countering capitalism is simple; it requires you to separate yourself from any influence or product of the capitalistic society.
In comparison, Ohman’s text initialed Selling Culture you can draw several similarities and differences between the two arguments. First, both articles recognize that capitalism has many flaws, and that the basis of capitalism is making the most money possible, while spending as little as possible. In the text they talk about the affects advertising had on the piano industry in the early 1900’s. Due to advertising, the number of pianos in use had risen six times as fast as the growth of the population, in the year 1910. It seems to me that Ohman’s arguments reflects both positively and negatively upon capitalism, but overall he can see a use for it. Ware as in The Culture Industry, Adorno and Horkheimer refuse anything that capitalism has to offer.

foundation

name: Tom Valko

age: 22

residence: Detroit,MI

This is my fourth year at Wayne State, i am studying film production.  I live downtown, and i work as a bike messenger for "Rockdove Bike Curriers LLC".  I ride year round for work, and to commute from school, grocery store, parties ect.  In my time away from school and work, i like to go see music (rock, or electronic mostly), travel, and work on video projects. 

Quick Facts:

I used to be a vegetarian, but I'm not anymore.

I used to smoke cigarettes, but now i don't

I used to hate coffee, but now i love it. 

Thats about it.