10/1 Post Class

 Walter Benjamin makes truly incredible remarks on the age of reproduction that coincides with how media texts such as art can get mechanically reproduced in such an efficient way. This will have an everlasting effect with how media is delivered. We see in today's world how easy it is to be mislead and how much information is getting pushed out of many media outlets. It can be real news or fake news, but this mechanically produced content Benjamin discusses is all connected with the westernized form of government and capitalism. I am a firm believer that Marx may not be entirely wrong with his beliefs as Benjamin discussed. The idea of a capitalistic society is something I have trouble with, but I do not condone a communist environment. It is truly difficult to find that sweet spot of being able to incorporate social accountability, while still having an open-ended free market. These theorists have demonstrated the unique analysis of looking to the future by analyzing the past and framing their world in such a way that they can have a rough idea of future outcomes. Having this mindset and understanding the framework from an array of authors gives us so much context for how everything in the world from a social, political, and economic standpoint came to be. Below I have included two quotes that I truly admire and give so much support to how I believe the world is shaped in present day. 

“Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: its presence in time in space, it’s unique existence at the place where it happens to be. The unique existence of the work of art determine the history to which it was subject throughout the time of its existence. This includes the changes which it may have suffered in physical condition over the years as well as the various changes in its ownership. The traces of the first can be revealed only by chemical or physical analysis which it is impossible to perform on a reproduction; changes of ownership are subject to a tradition which must be traced from the situation of the original” (Benjamin, 1969, p. 38-9). 

When Marx under took his critique of the capitalistic motive production, this mode was in its infancy. Marks directed his efforts in such a way as to give them prognostic value. He went back to the basic conditions underline capitalistic production and through his presentation showed what could be expected of capitalism in the future. The result was that one could expect it not only to exploit the proletariat with increasing intensity, but ultimately to create conditions which would make it possible to abolish capitalism itself” (Benjamin, 1969, p. 37).