‘the ecstasy of communication’ by jean baudrillard
“people no longer project themselves into their objects, with their effects and representations…the psychological dimension has in a sense vanished… little by little the logic of driving has replaced a very subjective logic of procession and projection”
This notion of communication that prevails through the procession of material items such as the automobile is seen as a representational status quo rather than the functional entity, which it was designed for. I recently spent my reading break in LA and it was pretty much the most amazing experience of my life. The sense of lifestyle there is so incredibly different in comparison to here in Winnipeg. It became apparent that material processions are extremely valued to this society of sunny beaches, mountainous terrains and most importantly MONey!! Everywhere you look there’s endless amounts of beemers, caddy’s, porches’ and even the odd Lamborghini or Ferrari if you’re lucky. This makes me question…why exactly do people spend so much money on expensive cars (not that I’m against it)? Is it for the aesthetics, the style, does price = quality or more likely does brand represent power and wealth? From my observation I feel that people drive these expensive cars to make a statement about who they are/ want to be, how deep their pockets sink or where they stand in our status driven society? This simply makes a statement about values and desires, what they are and how far we are willing to go to achieve them.
This notion of communication that prevails through the procession of material items such as the automobile is seen as a representational status quo rather than the functional entity, which it was designed for. I recently spent my reading break in LA and it was pretty much the most amazing experience of my life. The sense of lifestyle there is so incredibly different in comparison to here in Winnipeg. It became apparent that material processions are extremely valued to this society of sunny beaches, mountainous terrains and most importantly MONey!! Everywhere you look there’s endless amounts of beemers, caddy’s, porches’ and even the odd Lamborghini or Ferrari if you’re lucky. This makes me question…why exactly do people spend so much money on expensive cars (not that I’m against it)? Is it for the aesthetics, the style, does price = quality or more likely does brand represent power and wealth? From my observation I feel that people drive these expensive cars to make a statement about who they are/ want to be, how deep their pockets sink or where they stand in our status driven society? This simply makes a statement about values and desires, what they are and how far we are willing to go to achieve them.
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