I thought the whole article by Zengotita consistantly presented interesting topics. The thing that struck me first was the vast vocabulary. The complex diction in the text made for slower reading, which sucks- but the points brought up definitely put your brain to work. Fabrication, Flood, Finitude, and Fast were all well supported and interesting in their own right...but the whole concept of Finitude seemed the weakest argument. When you think about the entire plethora of media stories and all the plots ever used in novels, movies and whatnot- the entire mass that just ran through your head seems finite and you can probably pick out a few repetitions and similarities. Theoretically there are only a set number of letters and notes that can be put in a set amount of orders, which means there is definitely an end to originality. However, our society is nowhere near to this end. People complain every year of the lack of originality in movies and music...but they're just not looking hard enough or thinking long enough. New bands and new movies are constantly coming out...and although they can be classified in certain genres, most of them are still different enough to be unique. All be it most of these new movies and bands are terrible and their moments in the spotlight are brief...but there are bands and flics every so often which are destined for fame. When you think of your favorite movies and groups...all of them are very distinguishable and are noted for their unique greatness. Music and movies have been produced for decades now, and more will continue to come. The future should not be looked on with bleak dismay though, there will be plenty of works which are unique, moving, and impact your life....you just have to be aware when they come by.
So if you got through all of that...I just wanted to mention one more thing about music. There is sooo much music out there that it's a crime to complain of the lack of new sound. If you feel stuck in a rut of repetition you need to turn off that radio and stop downloading the songs played on it. Go check out local bands, underground music, or check out the independent bands. There are so many independant bands, you're bound to find a sound you'll love. And if you love movies, but want something different- check out independent films or even better...foreign films. Foreign films may sound intimading and you often have to put up with subtitles; but the stories, acting, scenes, and cinematography are usually of the upmost quality- because they have to be since they lack Hollywood to promote their product. So go check out something new.
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2 comments:
I agree with your post. To say everything has been done already is not really fair to say...it seems as if the author has given up on society--he's lost faith in man's potential to create newer things. I could see where he was going in trying to strengthen his main claim but I think he overstepped his bounds a bit, oversimplified the idea of finitude, and probably hurt the paper's overall effectiveness for the reader in doing so.
I agree that the concept of finitude in this article is a bit hyperbolic, but I'm not entirely dissuaded from it as a general point. Using your personal experience is good, but part of the point is that, as we experience a greater series of forms of art, etc, the less they become distinguishable. My own example would be the band My Chemical Romance, who are popular with the "kids" but for my money seem like a rehash of a 90's band the Smashing Pumpkins, what with all the loud guitars and theatrics and mopey lyrics. Of course they're not EXACTLY the same, but it does seem like less and less difference is even EXPECTED. (Did anyone care that the guitar line in Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was the exact same one in Boston's "More Than A Feeling?") but at some point, the differences will become indistinguishable to our senses, even if they still remain unique according to an absolute register of categories and elements. Maybe this won't happen anytime soon, and maybe this is just a phenomenon that accompanies age and experience (it's al the same boo hoo!) but there does seem to be something persuasive about it.
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