I, unfortunately, have not been able to take the first exam due to a family emergency. (on a more positive side note everyone is doing fine for now :) ). Over the last week I have been diving deeper into Walter Benjamin’s work on authenticity and art in the age of mechanical reproduction. I remember sitting in class discussing Walter’s theory with my fellow classmates and was quite confused on his notion of the camera being a manipulative form of media. Since I have not taken the exam yet, I want to revisit Walter’s mechanical reproduction theory for this particular blog entry on this fine Sunday afternoon. I hope you all don’t mind me exploring on an older topic about the camera, the camera man and how we all believe we are experts.
Our world today is focused on reproduction and copies. When Walter was writing this piece, his world was quite different on a technological sense. After reading through Walter’s theory for the second time, I really found that authenticity today is in crisis. The authenticity of art isn’t just the only problem but media today is very invasive on everyone’s mind. The camera is a very powerful and manipulative tool that strictly prohibits its viewers to the whole picture. In a sense the viewer has no control because the camera is only showing you what it wants you to see. As Walter says, “The camera need not to respect the performance as an integral whole” (42).
Media today, especially news outlets, permits its viewers to obtain the information that they are explaining, whether or not it is true. People sit around and watch their televisions, and are told information about a certain event. After learning information on one topic, people believe that they know everything about that specific topic, but do we really know if the facts that were said were true? Walter says that we, as in all the human race, believe that we are experts today. “Everybody who witnesses its accomplishment is somewhat of an expert . . . At any moment the reader is ready to turn in to a writer” (44). Unfortunately, not many people are not fortunate enough to be taking a Critical Theory class in college. If I had a solution for this madness I would turn to Macherey’s concept of perversion.
Macherey in A Theory of Literary Production theory, describes the concept of intertextuality. When interpreting media, information, a piece of writing or anything, one must consider the work in its entirety. In order to fully understand, one must move outside the work that is presented. As Macherey would say, “What is impertinent in the work is what it does not say” (18). Now this may seem like a simple solution, but I know that many people would never move outside of the work because it makes people uncomfortable to do something different.
Media is manipulative, whether you want to admit it or not. Camera’s only show you what they want you to see. They unconsciously control you and your thoughts. In my opinion, there are two sides to every story. Camera’s only show you one side of the story without any physical contact or any other evidence saying different. Walter says, “[the camera] permits the audience to take the position of the critic, whiteout experiencing any contact with the actor” (42). In order to be critical of events, media and information, one must step into the shoes of Macherey. As Macherey would say, one never knows when “. . .there remains the possibility of saying something else” (15).
WELCOME TO REALITY. . .
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