Post Blog 10/31

I really enjoyed Wednesday’s class on Herman and Chomsky as well as finishing up Jameson. There were a lot of interesting points made that really helped me to understand the reading, for example when we spoke about Jameson’s concept of society’s nostalgia for the past. It is true that people often long for past times. I, myself often think about my childhood and how much simpler things were back then. Some examples that we used were Gone With the Wind and Pride and Prejudice and how though we never experienced what it was like in these time periods, the films allow us to long for it. However, Jameson says this nostalgia for the past is actually nostalgia for the present.  His says that we have a difficult relationship with our present and therefore try to reinvent the past in modern standards. We see this in examples like the restaurant, Johnny Rockets and its classic American diner style. Many people love this restaurant because it allows them to pretend and experience the more favorable stereotypes of the time period.  

Also our discussion about companies power over propaganda and Disney’s purchasing of Lucasfilms was a major topic in Wednesday’s class. Like most of my classmates, I am also a little wary about this merger. I think it can have some serious backlash effects that will leave many Star Wars fans more upset than they already are, especially with the rumor of a new Star Wars film coming out. A main point in Herman and Chomsky’s text was that many companies control the ideologies that come out of the media and this is one of the main concerns that fans are having with this take over.