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    Bell

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    MPE-Bell

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    Bell

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    7 views3 pages

    MPE Bell

    Uploaded by

    dark3rhunt3r
    Bell

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 3
    30 Pat Seo ‘uneasily (1) that all will mast want to maintain Tt puts things pechape (or end-state) pnp ss ofthe individual partes trans tunder the principe. For perhap thwarted, Any dstibutionl pal ‘overturabe by the vluntay that every patterned B by the voluntary actions oftheir shares they receive ery weak patterns afe not $0 ‘my epaltrian component is iividusl persone overtime; fave been propored at of distributive justice, Sil, given the por or patterns may not be unstable ing en it description of lacs under die- fussion, an ‘theorem about thei instability. SMe weaker ‘more lity its that the eattement iausble conjectures that any paterning eters by the enilement sytem, DANIEL BELL: ‘The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism (1976) ‘Born as Daniel Bolosky to East European garment workers, ll grew up in New York graduating fom City Calege in 1958 Beginning his aut ie as journalist onthe Left he was editor of The New der the erty 1940s an labor editor of Forte magazine theough much ofthe 195s. He subsequently earned a PRD (195) and became profesor of socio: ‘ogy at Columbia and Harvard, His pblistions inde two o the most Influential works ofthe second half ofthe twentieth century, The End of aviogy an The Caltral Contradictions of Capa. He aaa pubithed important work on, and indeed coined som of the terminclgy ofthe "postindustal society” and the information economy. He cane fo be sociated with neo-conservatiam through his friendship with ving Kristo although he once described himaelf se “a socialist in econo ics a liberal in poles, and a conservative in culture.” In The Cala Conrado of Capa, Bel agrees with Max Weber's argument tat Te Tn Contry 36 the Protestant Fthic ed to an accumulation of capital and the subsequent transformation of modern producto, while adding that also fed toa ‘consumer economy and a culture of setexpresson both of which were {ending to undermine the Protest Et Here, we nce et selection (ch 1, pp. 66-70) in which Bell asrates is argument by cing ome ofthe mora erosion caused by a consumer economy ‘THE TRANSPARENT LIFE ‘The cultural transformation of moder society is due, singular, othe rise of mass consumption or the dfrion of what were once considered ris fo the mide and lower classes in saci. In this process past, Tries are constantly redefined as necessities, so thal eventually seems incredible that an ordinary object coud ever have ben considered ‘ut ofthe reach ofan ordinary man. For example because of problems of temperature, homogeneity, and traepareny large windowpanes were ‘once expensive lnuries and rare; yet ater 1902 when the Frenchman Fourcault introduced a workable industral means for manufacturing window glass by extrusion they became commonplace items in cy sorefrons or country homes, rating anew range of dspay and vista ‘Mass consumption which began in the 1920s, was made possible by ‘evolutions in technology principally the application of electial energy to household tasks (washing machines, egertors,vacuu claner, snd the lke) and by tre social inventions: mass production on an a. ‘sembly line, which made a cheap automobile posible; the development ‘of marketing, which rationalized the at of identifying diferent Kinds of buying groups and whetting consumer appetites and the spread of i stallment buying, which, more than anyother social device, broke down, the old Protestant fear of debt. The concomitant revolutions in tenspor- tation and communications laid the basis ora national society and the beginnings of a common cltre. Taken all together, mass consumption ‘meaot the acceptance in the crucial area of lifestyle, ofthe tea of social ‘change and personal iansformation and it gave legitimay to those who would innovate and lod the wa, in culture a wel a in production “The symbol of mass consumption and the prime example of the way technology has revolutionized social Habits, ofcourse the automo bile. Fredrick Lewis Allen has observed how hard It for us today fo realize how separate ad distant eommanitis were when they depended ‘wholly onthe railroad and hors-and-wagon for transportation. A form ‘ot near arid was realy remote. Fora farmer who ive five miles ‘ut ofthe county seat twas an event to take the family to town for 3 ‘Saturday afternoon a trip toa fiend ten miles away os lkely tobe an ot Part So atiday expedition, since the hrs had to be ested anf ich sal itu ac farm tan ependen! many ams ow sous or ame tment and company. Horzons were close, and inion Hive ng ‘Sar people and fae ngs “The auton swept aay many sanctions ofthe cased sallow society" The repressive tat of hneceth-centary moray, a8 A sew Sinclar as observe, rele in farge measure onthe impossiiy of escaping from the plac snd consequences of misbehaviour By the Im ofthe 19005 athe Lyn ober in Milton bays nd gis thought nothing deving a0 mista dance ats rash efron he prying eyes of eighbors he cnc car came the stint par of the middle clay the pace where sventrous young people shed ter ‘eral ihbtons and broke ld taboos “The eccnd jr netroment of change in the clted salt town soc ety was the motion pcre, Moves re many thingema window on the sro a et of edymade daydreams fanny and poection spin Ind omnipotence—and th eotonal powers enorme I'm 9 srindow on the word hat the ovis have serve, nthe fst instance to Transform the culture "Sexson ofthe things Middletown aslong been taught to fear the Lynde observed when they revised Midtown fon Year later and "tsrtttons. operate oe the sujet out fight 3nd ot of mind as muchas posable” Except inthe movie to whch he Soungsers Hooks “Alsen ot need the movies but went shot here. They rode thereeives afer rove tars repeated movie jks and estes, Icemes the subeties fbhavie tween the snes anti develope 3 ‘ener ofsopisticon. Ain therefor to act ou this sopshston ‘ole tht bad uncertainties and pepletis by outa onient Seton the pater was cnt so much te liver ft own autos frente as.” th erative ca wor bout hem in ied he Eto youth (gs wore bashed har ac short sis) and lege tmen and women were aise "Yo make by whe the sn Shines fhe ides fread” was expe by the pinay ofthe pekeny ana e's readiness out lowe ald pres, “The mockery of ec the Gainer godess ote in heros and his wre ews aca, ‘seu pai by the new eared for materal Bunge” “ihe automobile, the moton pst, snd ead are technolgi in origin advertising planned ebslescenc, and crear al sala ‘novation David Pte as commented thi ts as hapless on dean a modem pops writer witout understanding severing Ss {twould Beto undestand s medieval woubadour without understanding the cal of ehivary, ofa inteethcentury revival without under ing evangelta celigon ‘The Toth Cetry os ‘The extraordinary thing about advertising is its pervasiveness, What marks a great city iso it lighted signs? Passing over ina airplane one ste, through te refractions ofthe night sky, the cures of red orange, ‘blot and whit sigs shimmering ike highly polished stones. Inthe cn ters ofthe great cies —Times Square, Pietadily the Champ lees the Ginza people gatherin the streets under the inking noon igs to share In the vibrancy ofthe miling crowd, Ione thinks about te socal impact of advertising, is most immediate, yet usually untied, consequence hasbeen to transform the physical center ofthe yn redoing the phys: cal topography, replacing the od domas ot mutipel halls or palace towers, advertising has paced a “buming brand” on the crest of ur ivlzation Ii the mark of material goods the exemplar ef new shes of lit the herald of new values. Asin fashion, advertising has emphasized slamour. A car becomes the sgn ofthe "good ie” well lived, an the ape Pel of glamour becomes pervasive. A consumption economy, one might ‘5, finds ts realty in appearances, What one displays what one shows isa sign of achievement Getting ahead i no longer a matter of ing up Socal lade, a it was in the ate eineteenth century, but of adopting Spechestyleoflife—

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