All 221 of it- the Society of the Spectacle

“But for the present age, which prefers the sign to the thing signified, the copy to the original, representation to reality, appearance to essence . . . truth is considered profane, and only illusion is sacred. Sacredness is in fact held to be enhanced in proportion as truth decreases and illusion increases, so that the highest degree of illusion comes to be the highest degree of sacredness.”

—Feuerbach, Preface to the second edition
of The Essence of Christianity

1

In societies dominated by modern conditions of production, life is presented as an immense accumulation of spectacles. Everything that was directly lived has receded into a representation.

2

The images detached from every aspect of life merge into a common stream in which the unity of that life can no longer be recovered. Fragmented views of reality regroup themselves into a new unity as a separate pseudoworld that can only be looked at. The specialization of images of the world evolves into a world of autonomized images where even the deceivers are deceived. The spectacle is a concrete inversion of life, an autonomous movement of the nonliving.

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 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.

4

The spectacle is not a collection of images; it is a social relation between people that is mediated by images.

5

The spectacle cannot be understood as a mere visual deception produced by mass-media technologies. It is a worldview that has actually been materialized, a view of a world that has become objective.

One of the many books I have to read, I'll try to understand this in parts. Basically, the spectacle is an event that gives a lasting impression on the audience/reader/listener. I'm not particularly sure if it's just the audience, meaning the show-goer, who is involved, but i'll find that out soon enough. The spectacle has been viewed as a commodity and "as a mode by which capitalism subordinates everyday experience"( from the SI). Hmm.. looks like I have to read Das Kapital as well to understand the full context of it. Can't wait for submission to be over so that I can start reading! Meanwhile, I just have to be dilligent in reading it during my 'leisure' time everyday. Hmm, wait, can I even afford lesiure time now? SIGH....