Propaganda and You

Now that we have really discussed how propaganda works, at least according to Adolph Hitler, think about how you can recognize propaganda when you see it.  First define it and then give examples of how you might have been influenced by propaganda and when you recognized it and resisted it.

Is Freud Valid?

As a reminder, the first post for this prompt is not due until 3/24.  I hope you all have a restful Spring Break.

When we discuss the ideas of Sigmund Freud, we tend to focus on his quite controversial ideas about sexuality.  He does, however, have some valid points about how the mind works.  What connections can you make between his ideas about the validity of dreams as ways to understand the self and the values of the WWICM?  

The Sorrow of War

I was particularly struck by last week's discussion in that most of you focused on the values associated with motion, or the mechanistic values, but one person said that in our culture we want or need to believe that organic values still exist. I think that idea is particularly apropos to our discussion of the poetry of the First World War. The poets seem caught in despair when looking at a world that seemed to be out of control--where the mechanistic values all trumped the organic values with disastrous results.

We saw the human side of war and battle in the poetry we discussed in class. Do you feel that war today is humanized or is it dehumanized? Are we more sensitive to the horrors with the instant communication we have today--or are we desensitized? Whatever your reaction, what does that tell you about our values? Do we need the organic values?

Btw, I took the title of this post from a novel on the Vietnam War by Bao Ninh.

Bureaucracy

What values associated with the World War I Cultural Matrix do we as a society and culture still value? Which ones may have gone by the wayside? Be specific with your examples.

How Pink are We?

Wow! Isn't this discussion awesome?!! (And fun, I might add). This is really the pleasure of my day to sit and read such thoughtful, respectful intelligent conversation. I, like most of you, don't think too much about the working conditions of the workers who make (or pick) the items I buy. I am too much of a relativist for that, I think. You can see, however, that the matter is much more complex than simple righteous anger. This discussion just might mirror what consumers in Industrial England might have said about the textiles they bought . . . .

Anyway, on to this week's topic. In this country, we have political parties and social movements that seem to align themselves or distance themselves from the ideas presented by Marx and Engels in The Communist Manifesto. How would you imagine certain groups (pick your own, Republicans, Democrats, Religious Right, Feminists, etc.) would see their group and their cause in the context of those communist ideas?

Child Labor--Then and Now

I am posting this early this week. Your first response is due by Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 9:25 am.

At the end of class yesterday, I finished with a few questions that we didn't really have the time to discuss, so let's do it here.

When you buy any product, how concerned are you about the origin and production of that product? If some of the values of the Industrial Cultural Matrix are still values today (as you have noted) how much are we willing to accept in the name of progress and affordable goods?

What kind of ethical dilemmas might you be faced with when you consider boycotting certain products because of the use of child labor or other oppressive labor tactics? From what perspective do you make those judgments?

From Enlightenment to Industrial Revolution

Review the values associated with the Industrial Cultural Matrix and then consider the following two questions:

1. Do you think it a natural (or, perhaps more accurately, a logical) progression to move from the ideas of the Englightenment and the values associated with Critical Thinking to the ideas and practices of the Industrial CM and the values associated with Progress? Why or why not?

2. Do you see any of the values associated with Progress (both those that support and those that oppose it) in our contemporary culture? Be as specific as you can with your examples.