Response 4

In Nail`s essay, Zapatismo and the Global Origins of Occupy, he mentions a French philosopher by the name of Alain Badiou. Badiou talks about there not being a “system in place to challenge party divisions or the party system itself…L` Organization Politique identifies this phenomenon as one of the greatest dangers to social movements.” (Nail 22) This can be connected to the movie, the Corporation, written by Joel Bakan, and directed by Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott, through the effects a corporation can have on the people. If the corporation is run on high with nothing but supporters from the media, the government, and other big businesses then they have absolute power over the people. Therefore, the people are too afraid to fight back for their rights since nothing will change to make their lives easier. This is especially important in the case of the workers from rural areas who made very little money but had to work long hours just to make some money to feed their families. The Corporation can also be tied into McLuhan`s Reversal of the Overheated Medium, since Corporations use information as a means of increasing advertising budget which in turn increases profit. (20) Corporations have also changed how we sell our products and the way in which we can use media as a tool to do our selling for us. In Postman`s Media as Epistemology, he states that “…electronic media have decisively and irreversibly changed the character of our symbolic environment.” (28)

Also, Zail, Postman, and McLuhan all talk about the importance of knowledge on individuals. Zail says that, “Media not only produces knowledge but also provides effects that transform reality.” (26) This can be helpful in broadening one`s self awareness in what is going on around them and in what way it can affect them. Just having knowledge is not enough but being able to make sense of that knowledge and put it into effective use is a very important concept that must be learned. Postman says that, “Epistemology is a complex and usually opaque subject concerned with the origins and nature of knowledge…truth are derived…from the character of the media of communication through which information is conveyed.” (17)From knowledge, truth can be derived which is all based on the type of communication we receive from each other. This form of communication through the use of media can have a substantial influence on how we learn and retain knowledge. Last but not least, McLuhan writes that, “With man his knowledge and the process of obtaining knowledge are of equal magnitude.” (20) That having the knowledge and using it, compared to the difficult process of receiving it require the same effort but in the long run, can both be beneficial. The process of learning and experiencing things for yourself instead of having something handed to you makes it that much more meaningful. Also, being able to use that knowledge to your advantage can be significantly helpful in potential goals.