Published in 1967, Guy Debord’s “La Société du Spectacle” is a radical attack on modern society, in which, in Debord’s words, “being” had declined into a state of “having” and “having” merely meant “appearing”. But what exactly was the spectacle?
Stories by Benjamen Walker
In the US, it’s called a line. In Canada, it’s often referred to as a line-up. Pretty much everywhere else, it’s known as a queue. Benjamen Walker’s preoccupation with the subject led him to find a man known as “Dr. Queue,” a queue theorist at MIT.
The writing of Marshall McLuhan has entered popular jargon like that of few other modern intellectuals. Perhaps no other line has been quoted, and misquoted, as enthusiastically as “the medium is the message.” But what does that really mean?
A series of convergences, but none of them are harmonic. The story of Pythagoras and the fifth hammer, using Nazi cameras in art, what happens when the mind goes pop!, and more. In other words, another hour with Benjamen Walker.
“Man is small, and, therefore, small is beautiful.” Ernst Fritz Schumacher sought to expose the flipside to glib mottos — growth is good, big is better — questioning our obsession with economic expansion. But did we heed the spirit of the phrase?
The true nature of the dark side, its power over 32-year-old men living with mom — and why being known as “The Master-Vader” may not command the respect you seek.