Tuesday, May 3, 2005
Nonexistent Noisy Past
This is a response to the following pieces:
White Noise, by Don Delillo
Plasticville, by David Trinidad
Generation X, by Douglas Coupland
Few things remain constant and fresh in our world. The ultimate expression of change which effects and also affects us at the same time is aging and death. We try to relate to each other in our own ways and although our memories sometimes overlap I would argue beyond this, that each of us seeks a constant and relatable experience which we can hold on to and share. To find the parts of ourselves that match a past we can relate to we turn to knowledge and experience. We are a highly social being and it is through our memories of TV shows, lifestyles, and our common experiences with death that we begin to comfort ourselves. The readings in White Noise, plasticville, and Generation X each communicate this human trait, and stimulate our own desire as a reader to feel "the" past.
When people have free time they often use it to relive and "relieve" the past. It is interesting that these two words are only separated by one letter. Whether it be through watching Nick at Night or going on road trips or visiting our old houses or jobs we take comfort in the past, even if it isn't necessarily our past, because it is constant and we can all use it to relate. Using the example of the road trip story in Generation X, the characters had never even lived in the valley they visited but through studying and story telling and observation they could relate and take comfort in what had happened there, as if it was a hard time they had all overcome together. Again in Generation X the example of shared past comes up when the old picture of Marilyn Monroe is exposed, (or should I say, the old picture of Marilyn Monroe exposed comes up). The media affects us in many seemingly adverse ways, but I would argue that the way it exposes everyone to common products and music and media etc. etc. is not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to bonding. Even on the other side of the world people could relate to Marilyn Monroe in Generation X and isn't that comforting? In each of these books experiences speak to us because we have lived similar lives through the media and the world we all share. It may be boring and un-inspirational but I can understand a need to feel a part of something as big as Marilyn Monroe, urban housing, or Barbie.
America sells. We here in America all buy, and buying is a constant and comforting experience. In each of these three pieces, which took place primarily in America, buying was a subject that not only came up, but was a constant part of the story. The old housing development in Generation X was set to make a fortune at one point, and its now devastated ruin fascinated the road trippers. They spoke of those who had bought in and must be weathering it out all alone in what now seemed like a wasteland. Moving on to Plasticville it is quite apparent the roll that buying has played on the characters; the book is all about the toys our characters bought as kids. The primary reason any of those characters could relate well, or rather, why their stories and poems all seemed to mesh is because of the continuity of the toys or objects being sold to them during their early adolescence. The best and most revealing example of the comforts that buying can bring is White Noise. The grocery store provides a rest haven for our characters. It is a physical manifestation of the idea that past trends repeat themselves. Just as trends seem to constantly repeat over time in our culture, the grocery store physically remains constant and is something parents and children share alike. Just as a mother and daughter living in the year 2000 could share stories about driving their VW Beetles, they could also enjoy and understand the grocery store together. There is an inherent difference between the past and the present however; grocery stores and VW Bugs get newer and nicer while we as humans get old and die. People are made to deal with change in life, but there are certain areas that we rely on for consistency, and when they suddenly re-stock our grocery store shelves differently than we are used to it can cause major upset. Buying is a big comfort in America and we rely on it for comfort. It is no wonder then that the central focus of the media in America is on selling things to us.
These books not only made me think but also feel. I am a person living in the here and now of today, and much of the material in these books worked on me as it did on the characters in the stories. It is hard to say whether painkillers are a benefit to society or rather a dangerous drug exposing us to addiction and limiting our full experience of all that life has to offer, including pain. By providing everyone with a consistent knowledge base the media gives us security and a feeling of fit. As our lives continue to overflow with comfort and consistency how will the way we deal with the pain of change? One of the biggest dangers of drugs is addiction, and if we become addicted to the idea of how other cultures are "supposed" to act our what old toys "were" like, or how our family is "supposed" to run will we lash out as in White Noise or will we continue to lie to ourselves and use the painkiller of the media.
posted by Court @ 3:11 PM
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