Purdue University Modernism an Extend of Believe and Ethical Egoism Discussion
Purdue University Modernism an Extend of Believe and Ethical Egoism Discussion Purdue University Modernism an Extend of Believe and Ethical Egoism Discussion ORDER NOW FOR CUSTOMIZED AND ORIGINAL NURSING PAPERS Home > Humanities > Purdue University Modernism an Extend of Believe and Ethical Egoism Discussion Question Description Help me study for my Philosophy class. Im stuck and dont understand. write minimum 800 words based on the instructions I will send you the chapters for this weeks lessons so you can skim through them as well. biggest thing is please ensure you send me the MUSIC VIDEO you will be using for the discussion. Prepare for this discussion by completing your readings and viewings. Then respond to the following: To what extent do you believe our opportunity for creating meaningful, ethical action in the world lies more with the modernist perspective, such as Descartes and Kant (i.e. divine command theory, deontology, etc.), or the postmodern philosophies of Michel Foucault, Mike Ventimiglia and bell hooks? Please offer a specific example of how your chosen approach can serve to create a more ethically ideal world. Please describe the ways in which some of todays music reflects each of the three philosophies: ethical egoism, nihilism, and postmodernism. Please embed music videos to illustrate your point. Be sure to reference specific lyrics in your posts. Unformatted Attachment Preview 24 Killing the Griffins A Murderous Exposition of Postmodernism J. Jeremy Wisnewski Summary Copyright © 2010. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved. Postmodernism is a literary and philosophical movement that began in the second half of the twentieth-century. The movement suggests that truth is merely a social construction that what we call true is just a product of the games we play with language. If this is correct, postmodernism seems to deliver the death blow to ethical and political critique (if nothing is true, how can we criticize practices that we find morally problematic?). Family Guy presents postmodernism in all its glory, and it also suggests a way that even postmodern moral critique might be possible. This is not an essay. Its a prelude to homicide. I am going to kill the Griffin family. I will even kill that baby and especially that ridiculous dog. I will do this for one straightforward reason: its the only way we can be saved. Saved? Yes. Family Guy will be the end of the civilized world. It will be the death of value. Family Guy oozes the postmodern, and the postmodern will be the end of us all. Postmodernism is a movement that has developed over the last several decades in philosophy, architecture, literature, and elsewhere. This movement emphasizes the absence of any real structure to the world or our lives, and of any overarching meaning to our activities. It systematically calls into question our most serious ideas: Truth, Progress, Freedom, Rationality, and the Individual.1 Instead, postmodernism sees the world as disjointed, with pockets of power relations and politics and nothing to unify it all. Yes, there is reason (with a small r), but hes just a little fella, and cant do much by himself. At most, he pops up here and there and hes never divorced from a particular context. The postmodern world is a ruptured world and Family Guy just oozes these ruptures. 1 These are so serious that they must all be capitalized, and then their seriousness must again be acknowledged in a footnote. Irwin, W., & Johnson, D. K. (Eds.). (2010). Introducing philosophy through pop culture : From socrates to south park, hume to house. ProQuest Ebook Central http://ebook Created from excelsior-ebooks on 2020-11-16 12:30:27. Killing the Griffins 239 And so, the Griffins must die. Its the only way to save us from becoming cynical conservatives.Purdue University Modernism an Extend of Believe and Ethical Egoism Discussion Thats right. Ill say it plainly and with gusto: Family Guy is conservative. You see, my friends, I am so left that the left doesnt even want me. As a good leftist and socialist, I have discovered that Family Guy, that glob of the postmodern, is a vehicle of conservative politics. To prevent Family Guy from exerting its corrupting, conservative-making influence on our youth, I must kill the cartoon. Its the only ethical thing to do. Copyright © 2010. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved. Family Guy is Real Its not as difficult to kill a cartoon as you might think. Paint thinner is a choice weapon but there are other ways as well. (The Fox network thought it knew how to kill Family Guy, but it was wrong as usual.) I prefer the direct approach: I will simply find the Griffin family, and squash them under my official Communism© Boots. I can do this, dear reader, because Family Guy is dangerously real. I first knew there was a problem when I saw the season one premiere (Death has a Shadow). The show featured the following: G. I. Jew, who wielded a bagel, a joke about not standing up to a tank at Tiananmen Square, Peter irresponsibly letting dangerous toys pass his inspection, God being embarrassed by a sermon, Stewie trying to mind-control or kill Lois five times, Kool-Aid, The Brady Bunch (with Aunt Jemima), and, worst of all, Joanie Loves Chachi (the audacity!). I was disgusted, and hence instantly taken in by the show. It was this, I later realized, that made the show so dangerous. The next two episodes (I Never Met the Dead Man and Chitty Chitty Death Bang) were no less insensitive: there were jokes about being racist (Dianne Simmons, the news co-anchor, remarks Tom, I just plain dont like black people when she thinks they arent broadcasting), about World War II (the German sausage vendor, the spitting image of Hitler, takes over the Polish sausage vendor, who is located beside him and of course he doesnt stop there), and about the control that television exerts over our minds. Indeed, it is this that allows Stewie to attempt to destroy broccoli (Their puerile minds are once again distracted by that flickering box. Time to be bad!). And if all that werent bad enough, there were references to Batman, Raisin Bran, Star Trek, Scooby-Doo, Willy Wonka, Chips, and (I think) The Wonder Years. It was a television blitzkrieg. I was being assaulted by images of the past, meshed together with those serious events that have collectively composed our history and nothing was real. Or, perhaps better put, nothing was more real than anything else. Scooby-Doo and Hitler, Tiananmen Square and Willy Wonka: it was all the same it was all scenery for folly, a backdrop of the cultural imagination. And it was here that I realized that Family Guy was real or, again, as real as anything else. (And perhaps then, as I lay weeping on the floor, curled in a fetal position, I realized that they needed to be stopped. What is real can be murdered, dear reader.) It was as real as Disneyland and that is as real as things get these Irwin, W., & Johnson, D. K. (Eds.). (2010). Introducing philosophy through pop culture : From socrates to south park, hume to house. ProQuest Ebook Central http://ebook Created from excelsior-ebooks on 2020-11-16 12:30:27. 240 J. Jeremy Wisnewski Copyright © 2010. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved. days. As the French philosopher and social critic Jean Baudrillard (19292007) remarks, Disneyland is presented as imaginary in order to make us believe that the rest is real, whereas all of Los Angeles and the America that surrounds it are no longer real. Purdue University Modernism an Extend of Believe and Ethical Egoism Discussion He might well have been talking about Family Guy and the families that loiter the developed West. Baudrillard continues, it is no longer a question of a false representation of reality (ideology), but of concealing the fact that the real is no longer real.2 The real is no longer real. That about says it all. You see, Disneyland knows it is artificial. Everything is designed to produce certain experiences the castles, the rides, the characters. We, on the other hand, do not know whats real. We think that the real is outside of us, but its all just more scenery. The characters on Family Guy present us with an image of familial relations that is designed to seem absurd, and this leads us to think that our families are somehow more real than the cartoon images displayed before us that our families are somehow not absurd caricatures the mere filling out of generic cultural variables and preexisting social roles. But we are wrong about this. We occupy the same space as Family Guy, only we are not in Technicolor, and we are not as aware as Family Guy is of our situation. Our families are modeled after television images and cultural icons such as those spoofed on Family Guy. We are as indebted to Fred and Wilma Flintstone as the Griffins are. But there is one big difference between us and the Family Guy family: at least the Griffins know that they are cartoons. peter: Everybody, I got bad news. Weve been cancelled. lois: Oh no. Peter, how could they do that? peter: Well unfortunately Lois, theres just no more room on the schedule. Weve just got to accept the fact that Fox has to make room for terrific shows like Dark Angel, Titus, Undeclared, Action, That 80s Show, Wonder Falls, Fast Lane, Andy Richter Controls the Universe, Skin, Girls Club, Cracking Up, The Pits, Firefly, Get Real, Freaky Links, Wanda at Large, Costello, The Lone Gunman, A Minute with Stan Hooper, Normal Ohio, Pasadena, Harsh Realm, Keen Eddy, The Street, American Embassy, Cedric the Entertainer, The Tick, Louie, and Greg the Bunny. lois: Is there no hope? peter: Well, I suppose if all those shows go down the tubes, we might have a shot. (North by North Quahog)3 The Griffins also know the power that the corporations exert over their existence something few of us care to acknowledge. After having what looks like a World Wide Wrestling Federation Death Match, the Griffins reflect on what theyve been broadcasting. 2 Jean Baudrillard, Simulacra and Simulation, translated by Sheila Faria Glaser (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1994), pp. 1213. 3 And of course this is the opening dialogue in Family Guys second television premiere, after a spell in the television cemetery. Irwin, W., & Johnson, D. K. (Eds.). (2010). Introducing philosophy through pop culture : From socrates to south park, hume to house. ProQuest Ebook Central http://ebook Created from excelsior-ebooks on 2020-11-16 12:30:27. Killing the Griffins 241 peter: TV is dangerous. Why the hell doesnt the government step in and tell us what we can and cant watch and shame on the network that puts this junk [namely, Family Guy] on the air. lois: Uh, Peter . . . Peter maybe . . . maybe you shouldnt say anything bad about the network. peter: Oh, why? What are they going to do? Cut our budget? [Peter then moves to the other room, his entire body going from right to left, a clear indication that there wasnt enough money to finish the animation] (Lethal Weapons) And so we watch, thinking that we know so much, that we are so much more than what is portrayed on the screens before us. It is in this way that we are subdued and it is for this reason that the Griffins must die. You see, we are made to feel secure by the Griffins strange as this sounds because we are hoodwinked into thinking, with relief, well, at least were not like that we must be ok. Oh dear readers, I am not ok, and it isnt simply because I forgot to take my medication. Copyright © 2010. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved. Family Guy is Serious Modernism is the philosophical movement typically associated with the 17th and 18th century intellectual climate of Europe. The philosopher and mathematician René Descartes (15961650) is often cited as the father of modern philosophy. Rather than submitting to traditional views ordained by the church, Descartes insisted that we must use rationality to discern the true nature of reality and in doing this, he contended, we would vastly improve the world. This ideal was perhaps best instantiated by the Prussian philosopher Immanuel Kant (17241804). Kant claimed that the use of reason was enabling human beings to come into their own to develop, morally and socially, into something far better than we have ever been before. These stories of progress of using Reason to grasp Truth and attain Freedom are at the very center of modernism. Purdue University Modernism an Extend of Believe and Ethical Egoism Discussion This story of how society and human beings will improve their lot in the universe is what French philosopher Jean-François Lyotard (192498) calls a meta-narrative. It is a story that makes sense of every other story a story that allows us to see the world as a fundamentally unified place with real significance. Post-modernism, on the other hand, concerns the death of such stories. It is infatuated with disunity. Whereas the modernist looked for the unity of things, the postmodernist looks for difference (or différance, if youre French). The postmodernist aims to show that the unity of the world is another piece of human conceit. The postmodern, Lyotard coyly claims, is incredulity toward meta-narratives.4 4 Jean-François Lyotard, The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge, translated by Geoff Bennington and Brian Massumi (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1984), p. xxiv. Irwin, W., & Johnson, D. K. (Eds.). (2010). Introducing philosophy through pop culture : From socrates to south park, hume to house. ProQuest Ebook Central http://ebook Created from excelsior-ebooks on 2020-11-16 12:30:27. 242 J. Jeremy Wisnewski Copyright © 2010. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved. To say that Family Guy is incredulous is just to put lipstick on a pig. No need to church it up here. Family Guy is downright obnoxious about meta-narratives. In this way, the show exemplifies the postmodern. If you talk to the people who live around you, there are certain things they will likely believe and these beliefs will likely help to organize their days: they will likely believe that human beings should not have sex with animals, that one should be respectful of religions, that alcoholism should not be encouraged, that cartoon pornography should not be on prime-time network television, and that we shouldnt joke around about things like World War II, homosexuality, homelessness, sadomasochism, racism, anti-semitism, violence, sexual harassment, political oppression, and so on. And of course, Family Guy does all of this: Brian frequently goes on dates with human females (bestiality). Stewies sexuality is constantly in question, and there are frequent jokes about homosexuality (Hey, excuse me, is your refrigerator running? Because if it is, it probably runs like you . . . very homosexually).5 Peter is clearly an alcoholic. Peter and Lois engage in what appears to be lively bondage and S&M sex. In fact, they even have a safety word its banana, in case you ever need to know (Lets Go to the Hop), and the seeming disrespect shown to all religions reaches a fever pitch in Family Guy. Ill permit myself one of my favorite examples: peter: Yeah, Im looking for toilet-training books. clerk: Yes. We can help you there. Everybody Poops is still the standard, of course. Weve also got the less popular Nobody Poops But You. peter: Well, see, were Catholic, so . . . clerk: Then you want Youre a Naughty Child And Thats Concentrated Evil Coming Out the Back of You. peter: Perfect! (Brian in Love) And perhaps politics gets it worst of all. When Peter founds his own country (Petoria, in E. Peterbus Unum), he is irritated at how he is treated by the United Nations. Upset, he seeks some advice from an Iraqi diplomat, who convinces him that invasion is the only way to go. diplomat: They [the other UN representatives] dont respect you. peter: What do you mean? diplomat: Listen to me. I used to be the laughing stock around here until one day my country invaded Kuwait. Now I have a seat in the third row! Look the only way to get something you want around here is to find something and just take it. peter: Wait a second . . . if everyone around here respects you, how come youre still eating by yourself? diplomat: I dont shower. peter: Oh . . . thats what that is . . . [pause] Take what I want, huh? 5 Peter makes this joke in Lethal Weapons. Irwin, W., & Johnson, D. K. (Eds.). (2010). Purdue University Modernism an Extend of Believe and Ethical Egoism Discussion Introducing philosophy through pop culture : From socrates to south park, hume to house. ProQuest Ebook Central http://ebook Created from excelsior-ebooks on 2020-11-16 12:30:27. Killing the Griffins 243 Following the advice of the diplomat, Peter proclaims Joes pool the newest province of Petoria (Joehio). But the mockery of world politics cant stop there not without at least making light of a few of the worlds most notorious abusers of human rights! The dictators of the world are invited to Peters country (read: his backyard) so that Peter can show Lois they have some supporters. peter: Hey Slobodan, you made it! slobodan milopevin: I didnt know what to bring so I made coleslaw. [He begins waving his arms] Its made out of people!!! [laughs] Just kidding. Hey is Momar here yet? To show us that it aint a party with only one dictator, we see Saddam Hussein and Momar Khadafi having a grand ole time discussing how they enjoy Seinfeld, not to mention murdering their respective peoples: Copyright © 2010. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved. saddam: . . . then Jerry guessed that her name was Mulva. [both laugh] momar: That show was funny. It really reminds me of my friends. You know, the way we just hang out . . . before I kill them for worshipping the wrong God. saddam: And I love that Kramer guy. He comes in the room like this. [tries to impersonate Kramer] I cant do it but you know . . . [We then see Stewie reprimanding Fidel Castro for running around the pool.] Incredulity at meta-narratives indeed! Family Guy undermines all metanarratives but it also undermines everything else as well. I will not defend any meta-narratives here. I will, however, suggest that joking about everything under the sun is a good way to get burned. After a few seasons of Family Guy, what do we have left to take seriously? We are thrown into a world where everything is equally real and fictitious, where everything even the most serious stuff we can imagine is potential for punchline. Nothing is sacred; everything is profane. And all I can do in response is laugh. Famine, poverty, oppression, big chickens, the Fonz, and diarrhea. This is just the state of the world. If Randy Newman is going to sing, so be it. Theres nothing we can do anyway. The postmodern liberates us from our concerns but this means that it also liberates us from our causes. In the absence of any real goals, we are left to become cynics albeit cynics who get to see babies try to kill their moms, dogs who are alcoholics, neighbors who overcompensate for injury or who are sexually obsessed, and, of course, fathers who are blithering idiots. This is a family that shouldnt get too close to the paint thinner, at least if good murderous Marxists like me are around. Family Guy Must Die! Long Live Family Guy! Perhaps Peter and his horde of miscreants dont need to die. Perhaps the po-mo dont need to be no-mo. Perhaps I just need to remember to take my medication. Irwin, W., & Johnson, D. K. (Eds.). (2010). Introducing philosophy through pop culture : From socrates to south park, hume to house. ProQuest Ebook Central http://ebook Created from excelsior-ebooks on 2020-11-16 12:30:27. Copyright © 2010. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved. 244 J. Jeremy Wisnewski Is it really so bad to make people cynical? To get them to sit on their butts and accept whatever the world throws at them, believing that nothing can be done about it? Hell yes its bad! But perhaps postmodernism, much like Family Guy, has gotten a bad rap for little reason (pun intended). After all, the view that postmodernism leads to inaction doesnt quite map on to the action of some of the most notoriously postmodern theorists. The philosopher and historian Miche . Get a 10 % discount on an order above $ 100 Use the following coupon code : NURSING10
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