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The Cosmetic Class

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Re: The Cosmetic Class

#51

Post by _bxg1 »

trophycase wrote: post #10
_bxg1 wrote: post #4

Sometimes I think the deepest, most absurdist corners of the internet are its last bastion of humanity. Where the memes are fueled by people's desire to be so incredibly nonsensical and inscrutable as to defy marketability. Of course, if you look at recent trends in corporate Twitter accounts you can see companies doing their very best to appropriate even that.

Even commercials are tapping into absurdist themes. I can remember a few asian ones I've seen but a recent one that comes to mind is the newest Sprite commercial where the kid is running around the house yelling about how they are out of sprite.

Yeah, although part of meme culture is to continue moving on and on to the next thing faster than things can become normalized, to the point where a meme "expires" after as little as a couple of days

Re: The Cosmetic Class

#52

Post by TeMPOraL »

cirgue wrote: post #35
cgoecknerwald wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eh. For many young people, this IS the "real world". These are their experiences. It's not productive to discount so many other people's realities.

Nope, it is plenty productive to call out corporate pseudo-cultural production for what it is: fantasy.

This isn't the first generation to live in a "corporate pseudo-cultural production" world.

Movies and movie conventions. Baseball cards and other popular collectibles. Sport events. Music events. All those things are just "corporate pseudo-cultural productions". Yet they're also the culture, because - for better or worse - commerce is part of our lives too.

Re: The Cosmetic Class

#53

Post by cirgue »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #52
cirgue wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nope, it is plenty productive to call out corporate pseudo-cultural production for what it is: fantasy.

This isn't the first generation to live in a "corporate pseudo-cultural production" world. Movies and movie conventions. Baseball cards and other popular collectibles. Sport events. Music events. All those things are just "corporate pseudo-cultural productions". Yet they're also the culture, because - for better or worse - commerce is part of our lives too.

> Yet they're also the culture, because - for better or worse - commerce is part of our lives too.

And I am saying it is enormously productive and beneficial to be skeptical of those things.

Re: The Cosmetic Class

#54

Post by InitialLastName »

fluorocarbon wrote: post #39
grive wrote: post #19

I really, really dislike this kind of medium-to-long form article that don't bother to even expose some sort of context (topic introductory line). This is incredibly disrespectful to the reader. You read the first half trying to put the pieces together, while given that this is a proto-longform article (does not have the length, but has the tone), there is fluff added here and there for flavor. This is so frustrating…

This comment seems unnecessarily mean spirited. The article is on someone's private blog. Nobody's forcing you to read it. How in the world is it "disrespectful" to write in a certain style on your own blog, providing your thoughts to the world for free? Stylistic points aside, I strongly disagree that the obsession with image has been the same with every generation. It's existed, for sure, but substance used to matt…

> but substance used to matter more

I'm pretty sure that clause has been on the lips of every generation that isn't the youngest since the end of subsistence farming.

Re: The Cosmetic Class

#55

Post by j2kun »

freetime2 wrote: post #28
V-2 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I am 23 as I write this" . I can't say I'm surprised, and the author is clearly of the "I love the sound of my own voice" type. That's how the piece reads at least. Narcissism isn't only about looks.

My first thought when reading your comment was “wow that’s more sharply critical than the author deserves”. But on second thought it is a bit ironic that a piece so critical of “signaling” and empty gestures (the author cites things like joining student counsel) would be posted to the author’s personal blog. I think it would have leant credibility to the article if the author had the self awareness to point out the f…

This is a slippery slope. Writing is little without readers, and you can't improve your writing without someone to read it. To say all writing is "signaling not too far removed from instagram" reduces all expression to the kind of absurdity the author criticizes. Surely original words are closer to authentic voice than using a company's predefined filter! Surely ideas composed on an empty sheet are not as vapid as yet another sunset selfie #lifemoments #puravida

Re: The Cosmetic Class

#57

Post by j2kun »

akvadrako wrote: post #45
Ensorceled wrote: post #25

There are several comments complaining about the lack of an introduction or topic sentence. Maybe it’s me, but I knew what ride I was on from the large clear title and subtitle: “The Cosmetic Class” “What happens when a society with a penchant for the cosmetic meets a medium dominated by it?”

That says nothing about if it's worth reading the article. I wish every article came with an abstract and conclusion like a scientific paper. Generally that's enough and you don't even need to read the middle.

Your scrutiny of the worth of scientific results must be spot on!

You can tell from the first few sentences or paragraphs whether an article is worth reading. If you're not interested you stop reading it!

Re: The Cosmetic Class

#58

Post by flanbiscuit »

elboru wrote: post #41
flanbiscuit wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Haven't commercials been doing absurdism for a while? Speaking of Asian ones, it's been known that Japanese commercials can be weird AF (to the western mind) that it was made fun of in the Simpsons with the Me Sparkle episode back in the early 90s. US has also been creating absurdist commercials pre-internet for a while now as well

So they aren't weird for the Asian mind? I doubt it.

Oh, I put that caveat in there because I am not Asian so I did not want to speak on behalf of Asians. Sorry if that wasn't clear. My assumption is that it is weird for everybody but maybe there were some cultural things I could have been missing.

Re: The Cosmetic Class

#59

Post by chris_st »

afpx wrote: post #9

Reading this kind of reminded me of old Christian Slater movies like Pump up the Volume and Heathers, and other movies of the GenX era. (But, I’m sure films of the 60s fit, as well) Hopefully this is a sign that this generation is forming its identity and ready to express it with some real cultural movements! I’ve been waiting eagerly for their cultural identity to emerge and express itself with authentic art, music,…

Sorry I'm late, but:

> one unfortunately misses out on a long history of prior work... that much of the past 108 years of knowledge and wisdom

Just curious why 1910 is the magic date here for "knowledge and wisdom"?

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