PetalswiththeWind Jameson

Postmodernism, can take capitalistic Society of the United States of America to it’s greatest substantial capacity. Conglomerates whether they be corporately or politically influenced (seems to go hand in hand these days) presently fosters, facilitates, and maintains U.S. culture, by making unique qualities obsolete in order to create individual widespread mass persona, in turn producing a society in which the culture is consumption. The images that are projected as the way Americans are “suppose” to live are concocted by some six-figure making ad executive whose pockets remain “phat” because we are literally buying into what they are selling us. Not only are the actors on commercials, television shows, movies, etc. type-cast, so are the citizens of America; “As Seen on TV”, should be tagged on some of us just as companies tag infomercial products. Descartes writes so long ago about this present day problem with his theory “Discourse on Method”:
“In order to ascertain their real opinions, I ought to take cognisance of what they practised rather than of what they said, not only because, in the corruption of our manners, there are few disposed to speak exactly as they believe, but also because very many are not aware of what it is that they really believe” ( Easthope 15).

Capitalism, is not a bad word when applied and distributed to the context of a situation appropriately and proportionately. It is the few greedy Capitalists who only have an interest to sell their products in mass quantities, exclusively to make a horde of money, whom synthesizes a society where wants are disguised, sold, and bought as needs. Amidst modern day America’s conditioning, Jameson rightfully interjects, “This is, however, precisely why it seems to me essential to grasp ‘postmodernism’ not as a style but rather as a cultural dominant: a conception which allows for the presence and co-existence of a range of very different, yet subordinate features” (Durham 484). What we wear, the kind of car we drive, how much “bling” we have or do not possess, or how much of what brand we do or do not eat or drink, sets our cultural precedence. We are all currently “cast-typed” to play a role or act a part based on a variety of ostensible characteristics such as financial status allegedly referred to as class, gender, sexual preference, race, ethnicity, religion, age, to name only a few.

Fall 2006 Hamilton Holt Class: ENG 335A Critical Approaches to Postmodern Culture, is contributing in evolving American society by re-writing/positioning present day discourse.