'One Sec'
The human race continues it's free fall into extinction. Good.
Above you can see an image from Gizmodo.com, entitled 'One Sec' (click image for link). I saw this image a while ago as it appeared on my friends "Google Buzz" thread through gmail. While the image encapsulates present day discussion and controversy regarding technology and the role it plays in our daily lives (especially when discussing naturalism, transcendentalism, post modernism, etc), it also is a clear comic display.
I found this description of gizmodo.com: "Gizmodo.com is a "technology weblog about consumer electronics...It's known for up-to-date coverage of the technology industry and the personal, humorous, sometimes very inappropriate writing style of the contributors." (thank you Wikipedia...)
From this description, it seems that gizmodo.com is making fun of themselves by posting this picture.
When looking at this picture, I thought back on our discussions on so many texts and authors (naturalism writers from the beginning of the course, Amy Lowell's "The Captured Goddess", Williams' "The Red Wheelbarrow," Robert Frost's poems, various writers during the New Negro movement as they reminisce on their homeland (Africa), Dos Passos's piece of newspaper headlines, Proulx's Postcards, and the list goes on). The freedom found in nature vs. the poisonous captivity (so it seems) of industrial and technological advancement is conquered time and time again in literature, particularly in literary movements before and during post-modernism. I'm interested to see how nature and the natural world is going to creep into the "time of terror" movement (or whatever movement comes after post-modernism), or even if it will be worth noting, as we begin to reading Zigzagger this weekend.
All I can say is that while that picture is hilarious (because the situation is ridiculous and I know of stupid teenagers who would do the same thing), there is such a sadness behind it. This girl who just helped to create life finds it more important to text than even look at HER newborn.
ReplyDeleteIt almost seems like all this technology desensitizes us. In my UW 20 class last year (Fight Club and violence in 20th century America), we discussed how the rise in violence, technology, crime, etc, has been reflected in our literature. While these things happen in real life, authors like Proulx, Palahniuk, Munoz, Robert Stone, have to make novels vivid, explicit, at times overwhelming to even hold the readers attention.
This picture is depressing. If I were that baby and saw that picture today I would be so sad that my own mother cared more about a text than holding me for the first time! But, I guess its a good representation of where society is headed...
ReplyDeleteI think its a good idea to cut yourself off from technology every once in a while. I know I am personally addicted to facebook and when I dont have internet I feel disconnected from the world, but I'm working on my problems! Ha!
Point, Counterpoint--Local Edition
ReplyDelete