This is / was an attempt to de-construct some of our mis-understandings about ‘Western’ society - its economic and political systems, its global role, and some of its fundamental ‘philosophies’. I think part of this came from years of rushing my way through encyclopedias of theories, arguements and philosophies in school and college, trying to finish essays and projects for decent enough deadlines that I never quite imagined to pace myself for. I found the whole thing distracting and uninteresting. It was a vaccuum for creativity at a time when I would love to think I was beginning to be creative (probably should have gotten off my ass and tried it in other places).
It was like sticking a jigsaw of other peoples ideas together into an recognisable argument without ever having the inclination or the encouragement to place some of your own pieces in there. Nation-states, imagined communities, modernity, political science, dot, dot, dot, dot - the whole process just became very functional and academic.
I love history, I love stories. I love tapestries of people and events. And I love that an individual can soak all of this up and create their own meaning out of it. It was not that these ideas were invalid. Far from it. It was that my content, based on that research, served no purpose. It amounted to no more than a series of academic arguements to be filed away in a press somewhere for some reason or other. I’d like to think it made a rebel out of me, but I think the process just wore me down over time.
The advantage of all that reseach was that it gave me plenty of extra material to work with. Material I would probably never have come in contact with.
So what do I think?
Modernity to me is a terrible concept, and to look at the world through its eyes is to be blinkered and shackled. We all know we dont live in a true democracy, so what exaclty do we live in? Globalisation is just the coming together of various ways of life, and despite all the other passionately conceived definitions, I believe this one will out. Capitalism can ‘work’, it is not innately evil, but I dont see it as a desirable way of life for the human species entire to have to dedicate itself to.
The addition of Dylan Moran here is a cute marketing ploy - but it would be a fascinating angle on the whole thing.
Full synopsis here.
Filed under: Culture, History, Politics, Portfolio | Tagged: Democracy, Education, Globalisation, Modernity, Television, TV
