Comment re:that's not what I was talking about (Score 1) 54
It seems to me that you are the one confusing your terms. PostmodernITY is of course not critical of consumerism because it is constitued by the consumerism. But I used the term PostmodernISM. This -ism, whether or not it is appropriately termed 're-cycled sentimental surrealist crap,' had its roots in art and has extended into discussions about ethics, culture and the human race. It is comprised of an acknowledgement of the disintigration of certianty entailed by new technology, consumerism, and consumer culture, and a reaction paired to that acknowledgement. It starts with the question, "what do we do in/about postmodernity," not with the statement "postmodernity is good."
Likewise, modernISM was critical of the victorian and romantic elements of modernITY. What you have done in your post is to conflate the time period with the intellectual reaction to it, confusing the -ITY with the -ISM.
If this seems like yet more 'wannabee trendy journal scouring' to you, let me put this in more easily understandable terms. The shift from the authoritative, absolute trust of SKI to the relativism of PGP is part of a larger trend of a breakdown in certainty that occured in many forms of thought in this century. This breakdown occures because every system that attempts to establish certainty is somehow flawed on its own terms.
Internet conumerism requires a great deal of certainty to be practical, so the intellectuals orchestrating the system for the masses who will use it without understanding it must therefore choose between a flawed system or one that does not support consumerism for these masses.
When you announce "where postmodenity is leading us" you are correct. But as you say Postmodernity is 'after'-'modern,' and in fact a result of the intellectual movement of a modernISM reacting against modernITY. It is fair criticsm, however, that I have been ambiguous by using the word 'Postmodern.' What I should have said is 'Postmodernist.'
Likewise, modernISM was critical of the victorian and romantic elements of modernITY. What you have done in your post is to conflate the time period with the intellectual reaction to it, confusing the -ITY with the -ISM.
If this seems like yet more 'wannabee trendy journal scouring' to you, let me put this in more easily understandable terms. The shift from the authoritative, absolute trust of SKI to the relativism of PGP is part of a larger trend of a breakdown in certainty that occured in many forms of thought in this century. This breakdown occures because every system that attempts to establish certainty is somehow flawed on its own terms.
Internet conumerism requires a great deal of certainty to be practical, so the intellectuals orchestrating the system for the masses who will use it without understanding it must therefore choose between a flawed system or one that does not support consumerism for these masses.
When you announce "where postmodenity is leading us" you are correct. But as you say Postmodernity is 'after'-'modern,' and in fact a result of the intellectual movement of a modernISM reacting against modernITY. It is fair criticsm, however, that I have been ambiguous by using the word 'Postmodern.' What I should have said is 'Postmodernist.'
