I have… it was “continental philosophy” slop IMO. Overly complicated language, creates its own convoluted terminology, nothing is clear or meaningful. What points it had were barely decipherable through the smokescreens it creates.
Average French literature.
I read it some years ago for an academic paper.
The Marxist parts arent bad, but you probably know them already. The central concept here is detournement or subversion. Think of memefying an advert to reveal the ironies of cap society. This is what the Situationists did.
My take: too anarch for my tastes. More a provocative artist than a philosopher. Too Western Marxist, ie fake revolution.
Shoul you read it? Yes. Mull over it and internalize the good bits. Postmodernists are definitely good as meme inspiration (agit prop).
Thanks.
It’s worth a read, its short but performative. It’s very very american, not what i’d consider theory. Many of the statements are just quotes from Marx but replacing commodities with spectacle. There is a kernel of truth to it tho, in superfluos societies like the US it does feel that circus is more sought than things.
Thats the thing. Back when it was written, the idea waa that the only way to wake up the “sheeple” was to insert the “uncomfortable truths” in art.
The problem is that this is idealism. The white French man was materially happy ignoring French State crimes in the 3rd world. A more effective way of doing politics is to enlist the help of the oppressed, such as women and non whites. Ofc the white man was also oppressed by capitalism, but the avg liberal could live with it.
So in short, agit prop is good, but material, down to earth politics is better.
