The Society of the Spectacle

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Letter S

As a theoretical/philosophical work, it does get dense & hard to parse in places but still worth the effort, I think. The style is short numbered paragraphs; it's easy to pick up anytime & mull over. I just feel it perfectly captures our hypercapitalist present & the "autocratic reign of the market economy" where it feels like commodities have more rights, & freedom of movement, than people...

Leftcoastzen 👍👏 2y

Bookwomble I really enjoyed reading this - makes a lot of sense. 2y

batsy @Leftcoastzen 🙌🏾 2y

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batsy @Bookwomble It does, doesn't it? Put into words the vague sense I had about why things are effed up 🙃 2y

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Thank you for playing 📚 2y

vivastory I read a lot of Situationist texts right when the internet was kicking off. It'd be a trip to revisit them now 2y

batsy @vivastory This one I think remains particularly relevant. Especially about celebrity and how reality is mediated through the spectacle... Even politics now is a matter of fandom, it feels like! 2y

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Bookwomble

Society of the Spectacle (Pocket) | Guy Debord

It's taking me some time to read this slim book as I keep stopping to ponder 🤔 The promotion of the work ethic as morally good, and the reciprocal vilification as social parasites of those unable to work, is used by capital to keep the labour force producing, and the commodification and monetisation of leisure keeps it consuming the products labour itself has made.

Bookwomble Capitalists' "work ethic" is exploitation, and their leisure funded by the appropriation of the profit produced by labour.

That seems to articulate Debord's thinking, and my own observations, though I have the feeling that mine is not a original thought. 3y

Leftcoastzen Going for the hard stuff I see . 3y

Bookwomble @Leftcoastzen It helps that while I'm reading the hard stuff, I'm also drinking the hard stuff 🥃😄 3y

Leftcoastzen Cheers! 3y

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Bookwomble

Society of the Spectacle (Pocket) | Guy Debord

"Once his workday is over, the worker is suddenly redeemed from the total contempt toward him that is so clearly implied by every aspect of the organization and surveillance of production, and finds himself seemingly treated like a grownup, with a great show of politeness, in his new role as a consumer ... [Capitalism] may gild poverty, but it cannot transcend it."
??

Bookwomble There's an opacity to much of Debord's short statements which I can struggle to see through, and then there are those of a lenslike lucidity which bring modern consumer society into a sharp focus. 3y

batsy @Bookwomble That's a pithy assessment of how it is to read him! I've read this a few times and certain insights stand out and lots of other statements remain enigmatic. 3y

Bookwomble @batsy Glad to hear it's not just me! Philosophers, though ??‍♂️ For people who seek to make clear "the truth", a lot of them do a significant amount impenetrable obfuscation (I'm trying to do it now, but I doubt think I've quite got the knack ?). I am finding Debord worth persevering for, though. 3y

batsy @Bookwomble Haha, I hear you! When I write in a way that doesn't make sense even to myself I wonder if I can pass off as a Great Thinker 😅 But you're right, I find Debord really intriguing and worth the hassle. 3y

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Bookwomble

Society of the Spectacle (Pocket) | Guy Debord

Well, I didn't get much reading done. The day was too nice not to take notice of.
- I haven't seen the river this high before: maybe a combination of high tide and heavy rain.
- I turned around and was taken with how the cloud line followed the tree line.
- Sitting under the tree next to the Old Church 😊📖🧘🏻‍♂️

RaeLovesToRead All that blue 💙💙 3y

Bookwomble @RaeLovesToRead Yes, it felt very peaceful 🙂💙 3y

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Bookwomble

Society of the Spectacle (Pocket) | Guy Debord

Day off, and as there's blue sky between the rainclouds, I thought a little walk with a book of poetry would be the thing. However, I've ended up with a Marxist "analysis of social control and domination under modern capitalism" instead. Oh, well, I guess that's where my head is at presently ??

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