- Sep 22, 2013
- 4,956
- 250
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This is a consumerism-consciousness vignette symbolic for our modern age of civilization labors and networks (e.g., Wall Street, Facebook, etc.) and involves a key exchange between a hypothetical Internet-blogging Algerian-American radical democracy-critic named Ajay Satan and the fictional American traveler/tourist and isolationism-philosopher Richard from Danny Boyle's provocative Utopia-paranoia film The Beach.
How can we coordinate modernism concerns with bureaucratic storytelling?
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After Richard returned from this symbolic and meditative journey to that secret island off the coast of Thailand, he rejoined the traffic and bustle of the American city and began work again in his furniture distribution company where he was a global telemarketing sales-agent. One day, while on lunch-break, Richard was surfing on the Internet and looking at a Yale University website department lecture info-page about a new theory about consumerism-oriented humanity demoralization. He then found a radical democracy-critical blog by an Ivy League professor and cartoonist named Ajay Satan about consumerism-oriented sociocultural malaise.
Richard decided to contact Ajay and set up a meeting so they could share ideas regarding the vulnerabilities of modernism. Richard wanted to tell Ajay about his experiences meditating about isolationism on that remote island off the coast of Thailand, and Ajay could share his thoughts about pedestrian perspectives on modern psychology regarding consumerism-consciousness. Richard noted that Ajay would dress himself as a 'radical' or 'philosophical vigilante' in his blogs about media, pornography, censorship, and folklore and wondered if Ajay was the modern-day version of Timothy Leary. Richard and Ajay finally met in a private Internet messenger chat-box space/room where they began debating and talking about modernism.
AJAY: Are you a fan of Facebook-culture?
RICHARD: I'm concerned about our obsession with toys!
AJAY: Didn't you run around Toys 'R Us stores as a kid?
RICHARD: Well, yes, but these days, even tech resembles toys.
AJAY: I wonder if social critique creates tangible lifestyle reforms.
RICHARD: Why not? Isn't that what Thoreau's Walden argues?
AJAY: If debating about life is sane, how do we discuss chess-stalemates?
RICHARD: Ha, that's an excellent point, Ajay; a stalemate can be frustrating!
AJAY: Exactly; there's not resolution, since both competitors are now tied.
RICHARD: Right, there's no way to substantively argue who is right or wrong.
AJAY: In other words, sometimes social critique can yield ambiguity or 'stalemates.'
RICHARD: In many ways, capitalism and democracy incompatibilities are relevant.
AJAY: Right, democracy is teamwork-based, while capitalism is a competition-system!
RICHARD: Yet we know Americans love to 'tout' capitalism as a 'component' of democracy.
AJAY: All these questions/concerns about systemic functionalism reminds me of maladies.
RICHARD: Sure; bureaucratic contemplation can lead us to schizophrenic frustrations!
AJAY: Maybe that's why tech resembles toys --- so we feel more 'relaxed.'
RICHARD: That's why I worry about water-guns being sold in this age of media.
AJAY: Sure; with graphic films/video-games, water-guns may promote violence.
RICHARD: The new combat video-game Mortal Kombat X features horror-film psychos!
AJAY: That's disconcerting, since media and entertainment should promote hygiene...
RICHARD: Maybe Pig-Pen (Peanuts) is a 'diplomat' of patience...
AJAY: Let's agree then that morality involves the analysis of patience!
RICHARD: Yes, patience is vital in this age of maddening/dizzying tech/toys.
After Ajay and Richard concluded this stimulating discussion/debate about modernism/consumerism, they parted ways and continued to ponder the symbolic value of the ideas they exchanged. Ajay wanted to generate a Pig-Pen political cartoon about Americans' obsession with Facebook and network etiquette, and Richard wanted to travel to the Himalayas in Nepal and mediate on the the cleansing feeling of anti-bureaucratic privacy in the modern age of dizzying traffic. However, they were both 'secret-admirers' of the Mortal Kombat combat video-game franchise and would one day meet again, this time as friendly combat-arena competitors, playing a consumerism-iconic 'imaginarium game.'
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{Ajay & Richard}
How can we coordinate modernism concerns with bureaucratic storytelling?
====
After Richard returned from this symbolic and meditative journey to that secret island off the coast of Thailand, he rejoined the traffic and bustle of the American city and began work again in his furniture distribution company where he was a global telemarketing sales-agent. One day, while on lunch-break, Richard was surfing on the Internet and looking at a Yale University website department lecture info-page about a new theory about consumerism-oriented humanity demoralization. He then found a radical democracy-critical blog by an Ivy League professor and cartoonist named Ajay Satan about consumerism-oriented sociocultural malaise.
Richard decided to contact Ajay and set up a meeting so they could share ideas regarding the vulnerabilities of modernism. Richard wanted to tell Ajay about his experiences meditating about isolationism on that remote island off the coast of Thailand, and Ajay could share his thoughts about pedestrian perspectives on modern psychology regarding consumerism-consciousness. Richard noted that Ajay would dress himself as a 'radical' or 'philosophical vigilante' in his blogs about media, pornography, censorship, and folklore and wondered if Ajay was the modern-day version of Timothy Leary. Richard and Ajay finally met in a private Internet messenger chat-box space/room where they began debating and talking about modernism.
AJAY: Are you a fan of Facebook-culture?
RICHARD: I'm concerned about our obsession with toys!
AJAY: Didn't you run around Toys 'R Us stores as a kid?
RICHARD: Well, yes, but these days, even tech resembles toys.
AJAY: I wonder if social critique creates tangible lifestyle reforms.
RICHARD: Why not? Isn't that what Thoreau's Walden argues?
AJAY: If debating about life is sane, how do we discuss chess-stalemates?
RICHARD: Ha, that's an excellent point, Ajay; a stalemate can be frustrating!
AJAY: Exactly; there's not resolution, since both competitors are now tied.
RICHARD: Right, there's no way to substantively argue who is right or wrong.
AJAY: In other words, sometimes social critique can yield ambiguity or 'stalemates.'
RICHARD: In many ways, capitalism and democracy incompatibilities are relevant.
AJAY: Right, democracy is teamwork-based, while capitalism is a competition-system!
RICHARD: Yet we know Americans love to 'tout' capitalism as a 'component' of democracy.
AJAY: All these questions/concerns about systemic functionalism reminds me of maladies.
RICHARD: Sure; bureaucratic contemplation can lead us to schizophrenic frustrations!
AJAY: Maybe that's why tech resembles toys --- so we feel more 'relaxed.'
RICHARD: That's why I worry about water-guns being sold in this age of media.
AJAY: Sure; with graphic films/video-games, water-guns may promote violence.
RICHARD: The new combat video-game Mortal Kombat X features horror-film psychos!
AJAY: That's disconcerting, since media and entertainment should promote hygiene...
RICHARD: Maybe Pig-Pen (Peanuts) is a 'diplomat' of patience...
AJAY: Let's agree then that morality involves the analysis of patience!
RICHARD: Yes, patience is vital in this age of maddening/dizzying tech/toys.
After Ajay and Richard concluded this stimulating discussion/debate about modernism/consumerism, they parted ways and continued to ponder the symbolic value of the ideas they exchanged. Ajay wanted to generate a Pig-Pen political cartoon about Americans' obsession with Facebook and network etiquette, and Richard wanted to travel to the Himalayas in Nepal and mediate on the the cleansing feeling of anti-bureaucratic privacy in the modern age of dizzying traffic. However, they were both 'secret-admirers' of the Mortal Kombat combat video-game franchise and would one day meet again, this time as friendly combat-arena competitors, playing a consumerism-iconic 'imaginarium game.'
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{Ajay & Richard}
