EXISTENTIALISM: NEW NIKE ADVERT

The new Nike and Foot Locker advertisement very much reminds me of Existentialist attitudes, which of course is the marketing aim of the companies.

The main slogan is: 'I Am the Rules' in an attempt to make the consumer feel in control - false consciousness.

Amongst other superstars, Arsenal midfielder Andrei Arshavin is endorsing the new 'Air Max 90 Colorway' Trainers.

Nike are famous for their 'be whoever you want to be' campaigns with their most famous slogan being 'Just Do It'. They have taken these techniques into marketing straight from the Existentialist movement.

AT THE DOCTORS...

I have to say, I'm liking this observational form of journalism, I seem to be doing it in my head a lot.

Here's something I wrote out on my phone while I was waiting to be called by the nurse.

Waiting for the nurse. Late as usual. Four kids make incessant noise with their toys. So aggravating. To my right, a TV with advice on skin cancer and diabetes. So grim, is this what's in store? One trip a year, then one a month, then one a week. I don't think I could handle too much medication. Certainly couldn't handle too many trips to this place. A picture of a needle. I hate needles. I always get nervous at the doctors or the dentist or some place like that. Why?

I was only waiting five minutes or so. It seems so much longer when you're in a place like that. Just think what I could have moaned about if I had half an hour there...!

JOHN MAYNARD KEYNES AND FRIEDRICH VON HAYEK

The Keynesian economic theory has been praised as much as it has been refuted.

According to Keynes, the real driving force behind the economy is not money - it is the desire to keep producing goods, which in turn makes money. Keynes calls this 'the real economy'.

Therefore, he argued that spending was almost always a good thing as it encouraged businesses and their employees to contribute more to the economy.

Keynes blamed the Great Depression in America on a lack of goods production and mass unemployment as a result of high wages. His methods of pumping in money and regaining trust in the economy helped to get the country out of this era. He was acclaimed for saving capitalism as a result.

It involved the theory of the 'multiplier effect', which is triggered by extra government spending (or 'quantitative easing').

1. Employ worker
2. Worker makes widget for £1
3. Employer sells widget for £2

However, Economists like Friedrich von Hayek and Milton Friedman saw limitations in the multiplier effect...

4. Worker can't afford widget
5. Less demand for their production as it is to expensive
6. Worker loses job

Hayek identified, as shown in point 6, pumping money into creating jobs cannot last forever. He was strongly against Keynes as he felt his attitudes devalued money, which would lead to hyper-inflation and mass social unrest.

Hayek said: "The widespread emotional aversion to capitalism is closely connected with this belief that undeniable growth of wealth was purchased at the price of depressing the standard of life of the weakest elements of society*".

It seems that this unrest was evident in one of the most unstable states of the 20th century - the Weimar Republic. Weimar was relying on short-term loans from the USA until the Wall Street Crash of 1929. It was effectively spending money that it did not have, which Keynes said would work in the long-term.

"The economic position is only flourishing on the surface. Germany is in fact dancing on a volcano. If the short-term credits are called in, a large section of our economy would collapse."
- Gustav Stresemann, served as Chancellor and Foreign Minister during the Weimar Republic

Hyperinflation kept coming and going during the Weimar years, here is an anecdote from 1923.

"The price increases began to be dizzying. Menus in cafes could not be revised quickly enough. A student at Freiburg University ordered a cup of coffee at a cafe. The price on the menu was 5,000 Marks. He had two cups. When the bill came, it was for 14,000 Marks. "If you want to save money," he was told, "and you want two cups of coffee, you should order them both at the same time.""

The 1918 Treaty of Versailles ordered harsh repayment packages to the allies, which the Weimar government could not keep up with. It kept printing money to avoid raising taxes, but this Keynesian approach did not work as it did in 19th century America. The level of hyperinflation in the ensuing years was shocking, the German wholesale price index went from 2.6 (Jan 1919) to 726,000,000,000 (Nov 1923). Hence, here is an example of Keynes destroying capitalism.

READ MORE: 'A German nightmare' (usagold.com)

* - F. A. Hayek - 'Capitalism and the Historians'

HCJ 10-MIN GONZO PIECE: UKIP's RAY FINCH

This video follows the UKIP candidate for Eastleigh, Ray Finch. It was part of the Election 2010 coverage from Winchester News Online.

HCJ PART 4 (REVISION NOTES)

1. Was Nietzche a Nazi?

- No, he was dead 30 years before the NSDAP was formed
- Christians and Jews say he was a Nazi. Neech said Judeo-Christianity is a religion of slave mentality
- "God is dead"
- Anti-semitism was the norm in the 19th Century
- Neech's big idea was individualism, so any group, religious or otherwise, is less important in his eyes
- Zarathustra: Idea of the 'superman' (Ubermensch)
- His ideas are compatible with Charles Darwin (Social Darwinism), as in 'Space Odyssey'. Darwin's ideas were used and moulded by Hitler
- 1960s: Artistic community clear Neech's name somewhat...

2. Was Mersault a bad man?

- Use Existentialism in your answer
- Mersault is bored, murders someone for no reason
[LINK TO EXI] - Life is pointless and has no meaning
- He killed a black man in a time of extreme racism towards them, even in the CJS
- White judges desperate to clear him as long as he apologises
BUT, he doesn't care about anything - whether he is convicted or not
- Reflected in cold, matter of fact writing style
- Subject verb format. Cold. Observational journalism
- "Existence proceeds essence"

3. To what extent does the 'New Journalism' reflect cultural and intellectual trends such as psychoanalysis and politics of the 'me generation'?

- Tom Wolfe's anthology of articles is called 'The New Journalism'
- He uses 19th Century realist narrative style (Dickens/Zola)
- BIG SHIFT...
News = Digetic (telling)
Features = Mimetic (seeing) - Objective role
- Everything is strange

- REFLECTED in PSYCHOANALYSIS
Stepping back and listening to people
- 'Century of the Self' looks at Freud's theories
- Wilhelm Reich: disagreements with Freud
- Psychoanalysis: Getting behind the subject (following them) = GONZO!

- 'ME' GENERATION
- Reich: the total individual [LINK BACK TO FREUD]
- Self-fulfilment = happiness
(If it feels good, do it!)
EXAMPLE: Sex - Sexual liberation
- New agenda in Journalism - the personal aspect...surrounds the individual
EXAMPLE: Agony aunts, horoscopes

4. Why might journalists find logical positivist ideas useful or appealing? What faults have been identified in the approach of logical positivists?

- Vienna Circle rejects Existentialism
- They rejects all philosophy
- They only like SCIENCE

- 'VERIFICATION PRINCIPLE'
Their epistemology (the theory about knowledge) is based on the Verification Principle
EXAMPLE: It could be true that there are people that can run three times faster than Usain Bolt on Mars, but can't be verified scientifically)
SO...Logical positivists don't bother with it as it can't be proved in this way)

- APPEALING TO JOURNALISTS because...
We are 90% into FACTS and 10% into COMMENT
Fact [Link back to Ver. Principle] CAN be checked (verified)
- Separating fact from comment is a big thing in journalism

- FALSIFICATION PRINCIPLE (Karl Popper)
Popper destroys 'Verification Principle'
Things can only be true if their opposite exists, and can be proved that it exists

- Wittgenstein - 'Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus'
"That of which we cannot speak, we must stay silent"
- Destroyed Freud and Marx
Destroyed Id etc (asserted it is not verifiable)
- Freud = Another form of metaphysics

5. John Keynes has been hailed as both the saviour and destroyer of the capitalist system. Why?

- Adam Smith - free market
Market will go up and down continuously
Class economy is self-regulated

- Keynes: the more you cut, the more unemployment there will be
'Multiplier effect' - spend money, give money to others...then they can spend and so on

- OPPOSITION: Marx
To maintain profit, you need to pay people less than what they produce

LIMITATION OF KEYNES' 'Multiplier effect' (Marx)
1. Worker makes widget for £1
2. Sold for £2
3. Worker can't buy widget
4. Sales cut widget production
5. Worker unemployed

- Why not keep printing money?
You get inflation (Keynes)
Keynesians say: keep expanding

Click here to download Chris Horrie's HCJ Revision Webcast

I HAVE MY LOCAL CANDIDATE!

Eastleigh's UKIP candidate Ray Finch has agreed to let me follow him on the campaign trail.

Finch is not happy about plans to build 6,000 new homes in the area.

"We don't need them. The immigration that we have in this country is taking up the new homes", he said.

He blames this on being part of the EU.

"Once we are an independent sovereign nation, [housing] will not be an issue", he added.

He also wants to bring manufacturing jobs back to Eastleigh.

"The manufacturing industry has been sold down the river for the past sixty years by old parties".

He is up against Chris Huhne (Lib Dem), Maria Hutchings (Con) and Leo Barraclough (Labour).

Read the full article from the Daily Echo.

EXISTENTIALISM IN MUSIC...

...Trance to be exact!

In Kaskade's 'Move For Me', the lines below remind me of the kind of things that were said in 'Wings of Desire'

"Here we go, another night out
Waited all week, just to get out
Where do we come from?
Do I know your name?
Doesn't really matter
In this life we're all the same"

To an Existentialist, it is irrelevant who that person is that she is singing about. It doesn't matter whether there is a reason for being in that situation or not, they are just there (existing), making their own story.

A modern version of Damiel and Marion methinks!

HCJ PART 4 (WEEK 7)

The New Journalism

The two main figures in 'The New Journalism', now known as 'features', are Tom Wolfe and Hunter S. Thompson.

This movement was heavily influenced by the taking of LSD. The drug (apparently) makes boring things interesting and interesting things boring.

If you wanna write features, take LSD. If you wanna write the news, take alcohol.

People like Wolfe began looking at these boring things and writing about them for hours on end - one of the triggers that brought about 'long form journalism' or 'features'.

Techniques involved included floating around in Existentialist 'Wings of Desire' stylie and observing a situation.

One of the highlights of Wolfe's career was his invention of the term 'radical chic'. The term describes somebody who is seen as collaborating with a radical group to increase their reputation and stir up politics.

The first example came when American musician Leonard Bernstein held a fundraising party for the Black Panther Party who campaigned for self-defense for black people. Wolfe wrote down everything that happened in this weird event. The feature ended up being reprinted in his books 'Radical Chic & Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers' and 'The Purple Decades'.

Hunter S. Thompson wrote a detailed commentary decadency and depravity of the Kentucky Derby called 'The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved' (funnily enough!). Thompson focused on what was going on around him, rather than the race itself - the querky style being one of the first examples of 'gonzo journalism'.

Thompson made his name with his novel 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas', which took on a similar style. It told the story of two men and the darker side of 'The American Dream' in times of racial tension

Overall, this was a literary movement in journalism that was mimetic not diegetic in its narration. That's to say it shows rather than tells what is going on (as in news).

The mimetic style figures like these led to 'performance journalism' where the journalist/filmmaker involved in the piece is also the 'star'. Example: Morgan Spurlock in 'Super Size Me'.

FOUR TOOLS FOR STORY TELLING (IN NEW JOURNALISM)

1. Scene-by-scene construction - Raw style, jump cuts, be sure to set the scene, hand held camera etc.

2. Phonetic dialogue (if written) - Recording actual speech in the way it has been said (i.e - 'ain't' or 'hangin').

3. Third person point of view - Never use 'I' and in video form never make yourself the main subject. You are the observer.

4. Concentration on 'status life' - Try and establish, through your chosen style, who is the big dog and who are the underlings.

HCJ PART 4 (WEEK 6)

Notes from the screening of the documentary 'Century of the Self'.

The documentary enforced a lot of points from last week's lecture.

"There is a policeman inside our heads - he must be destroyed."

Recap

- Sigmund Freud: Our subconscious thoughts should be controlled.

- WIlhelm Reich: Our subconscious thoughts should not be controlled. Our inner self should be embraced.

Screening

Edward Bernays brought in Freud's idea of the unconscious mind in advertising. These techniques involved subtly playing to the repressed desires of the masses.

It was observed that this form of consumerism kept the masses docile.

Wilhelm Reich's contrasting ideas about the mind were largely ignored at the time. Lore Reich blamed Freud's daughter Anna for this.

Former Student Activist Robert Pardun said: "advertising was manipulation, it was a way to get you to do something that didn't come out of you".

Herbert Markuse, another critic of Freud said: "People are reduced to expressing their feelings through manufactured objects".

Wilhelm Reich's contrasting ideas were largely ignored at the time. Lore Reich blamed Freud's daughter Anna for this.

Personal becomes political

The public turned to Reich from the 1960s - in advertising and politics.

"The whole system of government and economy is based on profit, on personal greed and selfishness

Politically, it was asserted that society couldn't be changed unless enough individuals changed themselves.

So, "the personal became the political".

An interviewee said that Reich's ideas could be summed up by "taking ownership of who you are".

Minority groups, designed to express marginal opinions, began to develop.

Black/white encounter groups were an example of these groups, in which intense racial arguments would take place. It was seen as healthier to air feelings publicly rather than keeping them inside or behind closed doors.

Another group, the Human Potential Movement (HPM), was designed to bring out the best in people. The idea was to transmit these human qualities to make positive changes to society.

HPM was rooted heavily in Existentialism as it encouraged individualism and having control of one's destiny.

Reich and American corporations

Reich had a massive effect on corporate America as his ideas became more prominent. (Marketing) values were now challenged more often.

Additionally, the consumer could be seen no longer as passive and one of a 'mass'. The consumer now wanted to feel like an individual, and wanted to be offered products to reflect that.

Advertisers had to monitor the habits of the consumer a lot more as a result.

However, to add a WINOL-like sting, self-expression was not unlimited. Individuals could be grouped into 'lifestyles,' which inevitably helped corporations.

HCJ PART 4 (WEEK 5)

Wilhelm Reich & Sigmund Freud

To sum up the lecture: it's all about the orgasm!

Freud said we are governed by primitive sexual and aggressive forces and they need to be controlled. Chaos would ensue if they were not.

The Austrian philosopher believed that, under the outer surface, we are always driven by these animal instincts. However, these urges are not always on show as our 'conscious mind' serves to surpress them.

Freud claimed the key to our true desires lies in our dreams: "Dreams are the royal road to the subconscious", he said.

He separated our mind into three parts:

1. Id - our instinctive drives. Leads to chaos if not controlled, according to Freud.
2. Ego - conscious mind.
3. Super Ego - works against Id to keep it in check, thus keeping our conscious mind more prominent.

Wilhelm Reich was a close follower of Freud's work, but then he came up with his own contrasting theory.

He said the repression of the Id caused bad thoughts, rather than the existence of the Id itself. Reich believed we actually had good urges.

Reich developed his own version of the three layers of the human mind:

1. Surface - polite, compasssionate
2. Cruel, selfish
3. Deepest layer - loving, pure

Unlike Freud, Reich said we should always bring out No. 3, instead of repressing it...but we had to get past No. 2 (the worst layer) before we got to the best side of human nature (No. 3).

In 'The Mass Psychology of Fascism', Reich - from a Jewish background - said the Nazis embodied the second layer.

He also claimed the Nazis focused most on the vote of the lower-middle class as they were most suseptible to Hitler's rhetoric.

According to Reich (pictured, right), they were most vulnerable for two reasons:

1. Most likely to have strong father figure - Particularly used to authority, as in a totalitarian regime.

2. Most likely to be sexually repressed - Mainly because of the father figure. This would cause a need for rebellion, an opposite but equally important attraction of the Nazis.

As a result of the failure/fear of other parties, the Nazis encouraged voters to 'rebel' against them. Therefore, many Germans voted for them out of disillusion with the opposition, without necessarily agreeing with Nazi policy. This is known as 'negative cohesion'.

ANYWAY, BACK TO THE ORGASM.

Remember, Reich said repression was bad. Repression would mean you could not have a proper orgasm. This was really bad in the eyes of Mr. Reich!

Reich believed one's happiness could be measured by their Orgiastic Potency - their ability to surrender to the orgasm.

Later, when he was going a bit crazy, Reich took his focus from the orgasm and found a new obsession - orgone energy. The more orgone energy we gained, the freer we would become.

Reich suggested orgone energy could be collected in 'orgone accumulators' or 'cloudbusters'. These cloudbusters could supposedly alter the atmosphere so much that they could create rain. Kate Bush tells us more!

Freud and Reich in Advertising

In 1950s America, Freud's idea of the 'unconscious mind' was used in advertising. Figures like Edward Bernays would constantly play to our unconscious desires, almost always involving sex, in adverts.

In the 1960s, Reich became more prominent and advertising started to surround the individual, and their need to express themselves in a way that separates them from the crowd. Modern adverts from Apple are a classic example.

Verdict

Essentially, followers of Wilhelm Reich would want to express their feelings as openly as possible and Sigmund Freud's followers would feel they should be kept under the surface at all costs.

The most interesting debate is whether society has the right balance between Freudian and Reichian ideas...

Should we be more open? Should we be more reserved? Or is it up to each individual?

HCJ PART 4 (WEEK 4)

My take on 'Wings of Desire' (1987) with Existentialist theory (Part 2)

At the Coffee Bar I

Der Filmstar tells Damiel (still an angel) at a Coffee Bar how great it is to be, to exist, to feel - the simple things in life.

Damiel is dying to feel the things that humans do - particularly love - the love he has developed from watching Marion.

At the bridge

Damiel and Cassiel seem to show the more optimistic side on Existentialism when they talk at a bridge by a river.

Existentialists believe you create your own tale in a never ending story; they long to make their own story: "I want to conquer a history for myself".

"We learned to speak"
Link to Jean-Paul Satre: Why write? It is "the act of freedom".

- DAMIEL TURNS INTO A HUMAN...

As the films nears its end, Damiel truly appears to be at peace when he says: "I'll take her in my arms...she'll take me in her arms".

This is the one passionate commitment that Damiel makes when he becomes human

At the Coffee Bar II

Damiel feels the bliss that Der Filmstar spoke of. He gulps a piping hot coffee but doesn't care - he is so jubilant to feel what humans can.

Circus II

As Marion, the Trapeze Artist, is on the verge of the big time, she still feels full of angst as she constantly thinks to herself. She is superstitious as there is a full moon - the same as when her dreams were last crushed.

Then, in an impossible alignment with Damiel, Marion suddenly seizes life for herself: "It doesn't matter".

She goes on to put up an excellent performance.

Meeting at bar at concert

And finally, in amongst all the suffering on the streets of Berlin, Damiel and Marion eventually meet (see video, above).

In keeping with the whole film, Damiel slowly turns to Marion, it is as if there is nobody else in the world: "there's no better story than ours".

Marion talks of her lack of purpose and confusion in life: "When I was with someone I was often happy, but at the same time it all seemed a coincidence".

"The taxi driver's daughter was my friend, but I might as well have put my arm round a horses neck", she adds.

She feels no doubt for the first time with Damiel. To an Existentialist, what had gone before and what is yet to come is irrelevant, they are in the moment, they are in love.

"From tonight there are no more coincidences".

"We are our destiny".

"Now or never"...

HCJ PART 4 (WEEK 4)

'Wings of Desire' Screening

My take on 'Wings of Desire' (1987) with Existentialist theory (Part 1).

The whole film is spontaneous and enigmatic - two very appealing features to Existentialists.

The film follows two angels, one of whom becomes human and meets his true love, Marion - she is also followed all the way through. The message: passionate love can overcome the constant angst and oppression that plagues your life.

It is filmed from the point of view of an angel, which is reflected in the Existentialist style of slow, floating camera movement.

In an early scene, a man says of his dead parents: "my father was my father, my mother was my mother...no tears, no grief." To him, they were nothing more. This is reminiscent of Meursault in Albert Camus' 'The Outsider' who barely remembers when his mother died. Although this appears unusual, it draws upon the the theory of 'so-called existence' in that we are supposed to love our parents and be devastated at their death. An Existentialist wouldn't see it as abnormal if one didn't mourn over their parents.

We are introduced to the angels Damiel and Cassiel when they are conversating in a car. One of them says: "I wish people could say 'now' 'now'...and salvage all their demons and let them loose." Existentialists say we should let our demons loose, otherwise we will oppress ourselves.

These 'demons' are shown best in the subway scene (see video, above) as the camera pans from person to person exposing what they're thinking about themselves and others.

Circus

We are then introduced to Marion in the early stages of her career as a trapeze artist. She suddenly learns that they can't pay their rent to keep the circus going, so her dream of being a famous trapeze artist is shattered.

She says to herself: "it's the end and I feel nothing...it happens, that's the way it goes." Although it appears strange to talk of disappointment in this way, it epitomises Existentialist's attitude to life.

"Maybe time is the disease."

She also thinks constantly about finding love and appears trapped without it: "[I'm] longing for a wave of love...I need to love."

Homer, the aged poet

The angels occassionally hone in on a disillusioned old man called Homer. He appears reflective of the Existentialist view that people are worn down by their history.

Homer: "What makes the aspiration of peace so unendurable? Shall I give up? Where are my kids? The original, the natural"; children are very important to Existentialists as they are innocent and have no history.

As he journeys through Berlin, Homer (I might be wrong, might be someone else) says: "Today, only the German soul can be conquered". He believes that power is in the hands of "whoever has the right password". In Existentialism, authority is largely rejected as they believe you should be your own authority - it appears these quotes reflect this.

Film set

We are introduced to 'Der Filmstar' on the set of a film that appears to be about the Nazis/concentration camps. He is portrayed as an Existentialist as he is successful and seems to be in control of his own destiny.

He looks over at the extras on set and thinks to himself: "they're just extras, extra humans." This is a bit of a "hell is other people" moment!

Crowd of Children

One of the angels is sat in a crowd of kids and thinks to himself: "He [the child] had a clear picture of paradise...now he can only guess".

In 'Wings of Desire', the loss of the exuberance of youth is a constant theme.

Angels at the River

One angel says to another: "I want to conquer a history for myself...away with the world behind the world".

...And then, like magic, things start to get better...

HCJ PART 4 (WEEK 3)

Existentialism

To Existentialists, there are no reasons, there is no particular purpose - existence is the only thing there is. But it's not as simple as that.

They say nothing has any point, so when people say "I don't care" or "whatever", it is an existentialist trait.

But (using instead of 'however' just to please Chris - 'bad faith'), in Jean-Paul Sartre's 'Existentialism is Humanism',

It may appear grim for somebody to have these views, but some of their philosophy is definitly valuable.

Albert Camus - 'The Outsider'

This book involves a white man who decides to murder a black man for no reason. This draws upon the Existentialist attitude that there should be no limit to action and self-expressionism - even if it involves killing another human being.

"Might as well, it's as pointless as anything else."

Another interesting aspect of the philosophy comes when the man is told to apologise in court, but he refuses as he simply isn't sorry. It enforces the strong belief in Existentialism that avoids conforming. For example, to conform would be to apologise, just to get a shorter sentence.

Jean-Paul Sartre - 'Nausea'

'Nausea' tells a story of a man who is trapped after getting a woman pregnant. He doesn't know whether to leave her or ask her to get an abortion etc.

As a result, he constantly suffers with nausea as he is reliant upon her decision. This brings about Sartre's famous quote: "hell is other people".

The moral of this story is to act make your own choices before somebody else decides for you. More importantly, once you have decided, you should make a passionate commitment to fulfilling it.

Generally, Existentialists think one of the main purposes of life is to make a passionate commitment to something (e.g. - Me following Saints FC until I die!)

Non-teleological thinkers

Existentialists believe that Western philosophers have made a mistake in looking for being.

Instead, they think that life is one big void of nothingness. There is no reason for anything.

This contradicts teleological thinkers such as Hegel and Marx who say everything has a purpose (e.g. - we live a good life to get back to the Garden of Eden).

Positive elements of Existentialism

Existentialists very much endorse 'personal liberation' and reject the idea that one should conform to what ever stereotype they may be attached with.

They believe you are born with a story (thrownness), and it is up to you to re-tell this story. The past has gone, the future is yet to come, so live for the 'eternal now.'

Always act in good faith, in that you should be honest rather than fake in what you do. Existentialists hated the Nazis as their policies were largely based on lies (bad faith towards Germans).

'So-called existence'

'So-called existence' is the theory that people should go through certain rites of passage in life at specific times (e.g. - going to school at 5, getting married in your 20s).

Existentialists strongly disagree with this idea and say you should hit these milestones at any point you want - or not as the case may be.

Existential Oppression

Existentialists believe that nobody can and/or should be summed up.

For example, they hate any assertion that women shouldn't play sport. This is called 'Existential Oppression'.

Criticisms

Some believe Existentialism is just Marxism minus teleology (i.e - change/revolution, but for no reason).

After the epic failure in Communist Russia, some say that it was an example of neo-Marxism - an attempt to reinvigorate the class struggle between the bourgeoisie (now called determinists) and the proletariat (non-determinists).

This resembles Nietzsche's idea: "determine your own destiny or somebody will determine it for you."

HCJ PART 4 (WEEK 2)

'A Space Odyssey' Screening

'A Space Odyssey' by the magnificent Stanley Kubrick was made up of two main stages: monkeys evolving into homosapians and humans evolving into superhumans.

The opening shows the monkeys co-existing with other species; this is at the point when their brains are very small, they are not aware that they need protein for their bones, brain, development etc.

The monkey's lack of knowledge is emphasized by their encounter with the obelisk. Later, the human's lack of knowledge (relative to superhumans) is exposed.

The obelisk would only be a phenomena to humans. The strange place on the moon would only be a phenomena to the Übermensch. These things are a phenomena when we can perceive them. Meanwhile, they are 'noumenal' if we cannot perceive them (e.g - music) according to philosopher's such as Immanuel Kant and Arthur Schopenhauer.

Then comes the chief ape Moon-Watcher's discovery/theory, the blissful moment when he hits another animal with his bone accompanied by joyous classical music. This enables him to have a higher social ranking and be the leader - he has essentially discovered war.

We see Moon-Watcher's dominance over the other monkeys in a 'speech.' His troop then go to war with another. The noises made in the speech and the battle are the first ever examples of speech. The noises frighten, warn off and encourage/discourage etc; George Orwell said this was the primary purpose of language rather than to merely communicate.

Now its the turn of the humans. They're living in space trying to get to Jupiter, they can't do it as they are not adapted to it (e.g. - no gravity, unable to eat, deficate etc).

All human thought is stored on the space craft in the form of computer 'Hal' as they try to get to Jupiter. 'Hal' was actually holding them back as human thought was not adapted for this mission in space.

Dave (human version of Moon-Watcher) realised 'Hal' had to be defeated, in order to bring about the next stage of development - the Übermensch. 'Hal' is representative of the human race and the fact that they are limited to life on Earth; Nietzsche said: "humanity must be overcome."

Moon-Watcher's discovery of war and protein to develop the brain (the bone scene) and Dave's dismantlement of 'Hal' were parallel and both necessary for the evolution of their respective species (the final scene). This was highlighted by the use of the same music, Strauss's 'Also Sprack Zarathustra', in both scenes.

Key Points

- We don't know what superhumans will be like any more than the apes knew what humans would be like.

- The obelisk was as noumenal to the apes as strange place on the moon was to the humans.

- The monkey's evolved into homo sapiens, enabling human activity (more or less) as we know it.

- Dave was 'the last man,' making way for the 'superhuman'.

- Moon-Watcher's discovery of the concept of war (that brought hierarchy/domination) was just as momentus as Dave's shutting down of the human race to make way for the Übermensch.

- Kubrick's use of (scaled down) real-time in the film shows how things have evolved/developed quicker and quicker as time passes.

HCJ PART 4 (WEEK 1)

Friedrich Nietzsche

Nietzsche hates Christianity, which is hinted at in his book, the core reading, 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra.'

He calls their teachings in Christianity "preaches of death," and thinks Christians reject the natural course of life and look forward to dying.

Christians embrace death as they say you will go to a 'better place' and be with God. God is seen as their leader and the driving force behind decisions of those who believe. Nietzsche despises and rejects anybody who act in this way and sees them as'sheep' - weak individuals.

Instead, the German philosopher asserts that one should either determine others into being or others will enforce this upon yourself. He famously said: "to my goal I will go my own way."

In the same way, he praises the individual who strives to be and do their best - the 'shepherds.' Therefore, people who are teachers, priests or artists, for example, are seen as superior in the eyes of Nietzsche. He refers to them as the Übermensch.

Conversely, fellow German philosopher Immanuel Kant believes that all human beings are equal and share the same morality. He asserts that we all, in equal measure, have an in-built idea of what is wrong and what is right - this is our moral compass.

Nietzsche contests this by saying: "the best of us will make our own rules" - the 'will to power'

Personally, I can relate more with Nietzsche's point of view than Kant's. There is no way that we all have the same morals. For instance, if two people committed separate fraud and BOTH cheated the Inland Revenue to £1 million, one would most certainly have a clearer/more troubled conscience than the other.

Additionally, Nietzsche rejected Kant's idea that all humans are equal and instead advocated the 'will to power,' in that an individual will always find his/her level. He said there will always be natural-born leaders and the 'superhuman' will emerge from that ilk. This is very Darwinian - "the survival of the fittest."

I strongly agree with this theory and, if played out in the correct manner, think it is a healthy quality to have. I have been accused of having Fascist views as a result as the Nazi's believed in Darwinism, but there is a huge difference between striving to be the best you can and killing people because you think you are better than them!

I like this short and sweet blog post about Nietzsche...

'THE GRAPES OF WRATH' IS A WORK OF JOURNALISM

It is irrelevant that 'Grapes of Wrath' was fictional, it was solely based on journalistic research and articles.

The plight of the Joads that he told in the book was a means of raising awareness of the hardship that families faced during their migration to California.

Although it was clearly an innovative work of journalism, Steinbeck's literary genius was recognised when it won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962.

'The Grapes of Wrath' shows that journalism can sometimes reach a point when it becomes art, (I now know why we are based in the Faculty of Arts!)

The book is one of the first examples of 'campaigns' in journalism that can be seen frequently in today's papers. The most recent high-profile campaign is for the people of Haiti who suffered a devastating earthquake a few weeks ago.

They are often given catch names, such as 'Helping Haiti' in The Sun.

'The Grapes of Wrath' did have its critics. It was believed by many that it was a work of propaganda, but later research found that conditions were in fact worse than those portrayed in the book.

REALISM IN ÉMILE ZOLA'S 'GERMINAL'

Émile Zola made it very clear that one of the main themes of his book was to expose the woes of the French miners faced. This idea of exposure is so vital in the birth of Investigative Journalism - and the reason why Émile Zola is tremendously respected in the industry.

The title, 'Germinal,' gives away so much when it comes to understanding this book. The idea is that the crushing of the miners eventually results in them backlashing and germinating into a new world, thus the oppression is a blessing in disguise.

His realist style in 'Germinal' is not only effective in a literary sense, but in the way it is that much more provocative as a result, making the reader want to do something about this disaster. This is extremely similar to the effect of John Steinbeck's 'Grapes of Wrath.'

Here are some quotes that are typical of 'Germinal'.

"On a pitch-black, starless night, a solitary man was trudging along the main road from Marchiennes to Montsou, ten kilometres of cobblestones running straight as a die across the bare plain between fields of beet." (p. 17)

- One of the best, certainly the most striking of openings I have ever read.
- Immediately picks up on the theme of loneliness, reflected in the high frequency of negative, uninspiring adjectives.

"Nothing left, not a penny, not even a crust; what was he to do now, on the road with nowhere to go and no idea even where to find shelter from the wind?" (p. 19)

- This sentence could be used to talk about anyone who has nothing, regardless of era or walk of life.
- Extremely depressing, thus extremely effective considering Zola's agenda.
- Plays on humans basic needs: food, money, shelter. Universal themes. Reminiscent of 'Grapes of Wrath' with the timeless theme of migration.

"...he picked the child [Estelle] out of her cradle and flung her on to her mother's bed, shouting in a frenzy of rage: 'Here, you take her; I could bash her head in...The brat has got everything bloody thing she wants...and yet she grouses louder than anybody else!'" (p. 32)

- An example of the violent/hostile imagery that courses through the book.
- Deep frustration. Cursing at three month old child.

WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST & LORD NORTHCLIFFE (NOTES FROM HCJ WEEK 5)

The lecture about American expansion and Europe helped me understand why the individuals I am learning about are relevant to Journalism.

The first evidence of photojournalism as we know it today came from the American Civil War in the 1860s. Chris said that we could see those iconic images from that war were in our minds, in some way or another, I certainly could. He couldn't have emphasized his point any clearer.

William Randolph Hearst's methods appear to be the reason why News City was taught to us in the way it was last year.

First rule: 'Tell' the news (although Hearst made a fortune with the San Francisco Chronicle by exaggerating what he told of where the gold was in 1849!)

Second rule: Be aware of your audience. Much of his readership were semi-illiterate migrants whose first language varied massively, so simplified English was employed to reach out to them. This became known as the 'yellow press.'

Back in this country, Lord Northcliffe was adding his part to Journalism history, and it is still relevant today. He had a lot of success with what could be described as the early 20th century's version of 'reader response.' We have comments and blogs. They had letters.

In his paper Answers, readers would send letters with questions...and yes, you guessed it, they would be answered. This is a clear example of what is now known as a feature.

Louise Owen, Northcliffe's Private Secretary 1902-1922 said: "...his gift of acquiring information startled me; his knowledge of affairs was uncanny. He had a curious instinct for asking questions, and seemed to know each subject as thoroughly as the specialists themselves."

I am being trained to be something resembling this description.

More comparisons between Reporting Skills and Northcliffe: The 250-word rule. When churning out stories to fill a newspaper, this is the guideline. However, if you're doing September 11 - the morning after, it would probably be wise to temporarily ignore this!

In the words of Chris and Brian: "Give it what it's worth!"

(P.S - I originally thought it would be clever to make this post exactly 250 words, but I'm trying to get marks for my degree, so gave it a tad more depth!)

'CITIZEN KANE' NOTES (HCJ WEEK 6)

When Samantha Alexander asked Charles Foster Kane of their affair: "what would people think?" he replied, "I tell people what to think." Power of this magnitude became the success and ultimate downfall of one man's life.

His popularity gained from the New York Inquirer was such that he ran for Governor of New York and married Emily Monroe Norton, President Monroe's niece. However, Kane's extensive involvement with the Inquirer and criticisms of the President in it saw the gradual breakdown of their nine-year marriage.

His affair with Samantha Alexander ended any hope of salvaging the marriage and winning his political campaign in New York. His image of an honest journalist was dented after every paper - apart from his own - ran the story of their 'love nest' on the front page.

His second marriage mirrored his first, in that Kane wanted to make Samantha Alexander happy, but he seemed only capable of doing what he thought made her happy, and not what truly did.

Kane took a high interest in Alexander's singing from the first time they met, and with the power of his headlines, elevated her mediocre ability to high profile opera shows. Their marriage was plagued by Kane's brainchild to make Alexander a famous opera star, even though she had little aspiration to carry it out.

Kane eventually realised the limitation of his newspaper. All the propaganda-like headlines in the world couldn't disguise the fact Alexander was in a false position on centre stage. This was epitomised by one scene at El Rancho; the camera cut back and forth between Alexander and one man in the crowd, and each time his restlessness became more and more evident.

Kane's over-exaggerated applause at the end of the show was quite significant. It may have been the point when he realised it was a mistake for his wife to be on the stage, yet another example of him pushing her - or even both.

Overall, it appeared that Charles Foster Kane thought the power and wealth acquired from his work life would be enough to give him a happy private life, but by the end of 'Citizen Kane,' it was clear it had the reverse effect. He told New York what to think every day, then found it difficult to accept that he couldn't do the same with Emily Monroe Norton or Susan Alexander.

DAVID ICKE: "LIZARDS RULE THE WORLD" (HCJ WEEK 2)

The way I see it, there is no doubt that David Icke’s ‘lizard theory’ is fairly crazy. The notion that reptiles are secretly controlling our actions is leftfield as it is, but the sheer lack of concrete evidence to back it all up is the side of Icke that discredits him the most. It all seems like a facade.

However, there are two sides to every story (yes...even this one). I believe that part three of the documentary, when David Icke was refused air time by a Canadian radio station (6:41, video above), exposed a regrettable tendency of human nature. In my eyes, he was understandably angry at the receptionist/radio station for giving him no reason why his interview was cancelled. In the context of Jon Ronson’s documentary, some Canadians had given Icke a hostile welcome, so the powers that be may have thought it could have harmed their station in some way. This in itself almost validates Icke even more as one of his main beliefs is that society, including the media, is subconsciously being controlled in some way. This decision denied his chance to put forward his side of the story; having this chance is meant to be fundamental in a democratic society. The refusal of the interview suggested otherwise.