Can someone please explain what Situationism is actually about and why it's important to leftism? Cause honestly I started reading some of The Society of the Spectacle and it just seems like esoteric bullshit that creates the illusion of content through being incomprehensible. It doesn't even seem Marxist tbh
Guy Debord and Situationism
Hunter James
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Sebastian Davis
There is your awnser.
Its not, its only important to the post-left.
Cooper Thompson
hyperallergic.com
bopsecrets.org
Debord is a terrible writer. Too many easter eggs and references. I recommend reading some of his later works.
Jackson Allen
Situationism as an ideology doesn't exist. There are situationists, but there is no situationism. That was mainly used as a slur against the SI.
Society of the Spectacle isn't esoteric bullshit, if one studies it closely it's obvious that Debord has a good grasp of Marx and Hegel, at least in basics.
In its simplest definition, the Spectacle is a repetition (a better word than mediation for this context IMO) of events in such a way that turns it into a (lower case) spectacle, that is it forces the subject into an aesthetic view of reality instead of seeing things how they are, and even destroying the subject's fantasies about how things are in favour of mass society's.
You know, first as tragedy then as farce, but for society as a whole.
Samuel Nelson
RPBP
(rebel post best post)
Blake Evans
wut
wut
Samuel Carter
I mean he obviously has at least some understanding of Marx and Hegel.
The easiest way to sum up what Debord is doing is in the context of Marx:
Marx - Material conditions -> alienation and commodity fetishism
Debord - Material conditions and media -> alienation, commodity fetishism and spectacles
Though it's not that simple because what Debord is actually doing is re-writing Marx's ideas on alienation and commodity fetishism for his time.
Colton Russell
pretty much this. Although i think "society of spectacle" is a better term than society of consumption, in terms of branding.
Like Bookchin said, the Situationists are the spectacle of theory.
Adam Moore
It's also worth noting that a huge part of adding this spectacle was taking alienation out of just the workshop as Marx saw it, but then expanding alienation to all of every day life. No longer is it simply "The wealth of societies in which the capitalist mode of production prevails presents itself as an immense accumulation of commodities." but it is now "In societies where modern conditions of production prevail, all of life presents itself as an immense accumulation of spectacles. Everything that was directly lived has moved away into representation."
From economic material conditions to society as a whole.
Isaac Reed
Yes, the media is now considered a condition of production and that's what causes spectacles =)
Ethan Phillips
Bump, Debord doesn't get enough love.
Adrian Sanders
I agree with OP that Debord's writing style is needlessly esoteric to the point it reads like something that was written with the intent to appear as arcane as possible.
That's a shame, because he has some pretty interesting ideas but they're buried deep below thick layers of what might as well be Hermetic alchemy.
Jason Hughes
Maybe, but Debord is far less esoteric than say, Tiqqun or Feral Faun, whom are both evidently trying way too hard to *be* Debord. The difference is that Debord sort of pulled it off, because he also had something worth saying at the same time as wanting to be seen as a bookworm.
They're really not buried that deep, I just think he uses some confusing language which could be made simpler. For example in most cases where he uses the term "mediation" the whole book becomes super easy to read if you just replace that word with "repetition".
Easton Wright
Funnily enough, I find Feral Faun way more accessible than Debord.
By the way, what would you suggest I read from Debord beside the Society of the Spectacle?
Eli Ortiz
Just his essays, also maybe "Comments on society of the spectacle"
Justin Morgan
also, just found this and I'm planning to read it
1000littlehammers.files.wordpress.com
Jaxon Peterson
actually reviews don't look too good so mightn't
Robert Stewart
Yeah, don't. Just read Debord himself, secondary sources are usually people trying to re-appropriate Debord for their own means
Brayden Clark
Rebel i have a honest question, how the fuck can you have an educated opinion on litteraly every fucking thing? Like do you read like a whole book a day while a normal person does it for a week? Like Yui and AW have their things wich they are experts on but they clearly show ignorance on alot of subjects while i never actually see you say stupid shit. Do you read/study 24/7 or something? Do you have a life?
Xavier Rodriguez
You seriously shouldn't be so trusting.
Carson Campbell
He's posturing. He's an expert on nothing. The kid is like 18 years old.
Chase Brooks
I don't, I just don't pretend to have an educated opinion on every little thing and know my limits.
No
No
No
Alexander Howard
I don't, I just don't pretend to have an educated opinion on every little thing and know my limits.
No
No
No
Charles Young
Bumping for a fellow alcohol lover.
Nathaniel Ramirez
The shit written as Sokal's hoax is less pompous than Tiqqun.
Being Debord is so hard that even Debord only sort of pulled it off?
And what have we gotten from the situationist writing that nobody can understand the real intent of? A thousand tumblrs of people who think commodity fetishism means you get an erection when thinking about certain brands. Thanks Debord. Sage for situationism.
Andrew Perry
Why are you so angry all the time Sokanon?
You're twisting my words. You know that I mean that Debord does sound sort of esoteric but has useful things to say, whereas other writers just try to emulate him.
AKA you don't understand it therefore nobody does. I guess this also goes for Hegel.
Confirmed for not knowing what you are talking about in any shape or form.
Now get out of my sight, analytic scum.
Dylan Foster
Typical trip contribution
like what?
Every time.
Ayden Evans
alcohol is for pussies that dont drink dxm
Ryder Rivera
No no no, you came here telling me that Debord was shit, without offering a reason. Don't try to pretend you have any idea of what you're talking about, or delusions that you're contributing. Have you even read Debord? You claim he is impossible to understand (or at least that nobody understands him)
when in the very first statement in SotS he makes his intentions clear, that he is re-modelling Marx for modern media.
You foolish poser.
Colton Hernandez
You know what a foolish poser is? A foolish poser is somebody who makes a board game and gives it a pretentious German name and gets the spelling wrong.
Follow your leader, faggot.
Nathaniel Martin
OP read the SI archive on bopsecrets
"Report on the Construction of Situations"
"Theses on Cultural Revolution"
and
"Ideologies, Classes, and the Domination of Nature"
to get you in the swing of things
bopsecrets.org
Then it helps to have read some of Capital Vol 1 and Hegel.
Situationist theory…is concerned with the fact that the commodity form has become universal in society. At that point it (the commodity) was even physically reshaping Paris with roads and automobiles (hence the concern with urbanism). Universal commodities = universal alienation = the spectacle. SoS was important for analyzing current conditions as well as appraising the Soviet experience (chapter 4). There is also a rebuttal to structuralism, a contemporary school of thought especially in France. The first chapter and the final chapters are the hardest since they lay down most of the novel theoretical formulations. I might come back to this thread and try to go thesis by thesis.
Jeremiah Cox
Before I go it's also of interest to read Hegel's theory of alienation and then Marx's in the piece "Estranged Labor"
Adam Howard
"My leader"
Just going to show how fooled by ideology you are. I am not a marxist let alone a Situationist, you foolish poser.
Also
Kill yourself, frankly.
Anthony Cook
Apparently Debord's style is considered some kind of literary miracle in France.
Kevin James
Diagnosis: buttflustered
Rebel is turning into a second A.W.