The Concepts and Myths of the Modern World - Essay Example

Spaces and s of Modernity - Modern Cities, Entertainment and Las Vegas The Concepts and Myths of the Modern World 'Utopia', according to Krishan Kumar, is synonymous with the 'Good Society or the Good Time'. 'Dystopia' also termed as anti-utopia, is a fore-warning, generally of political nature, a picture of some terrible happening. The concepts of Degeneration and Regeneration operate on the basis of an assumed mutual-understanding of order and chaos, function and malfunction, the normal and the pathological. It is closely associated to the ethical realm of norms and values. The concrete, spatial transgression of boundaries (between the house, the garden, the street, the country and the city, as well as between inner and outer space) found in the above, often symbolizes a transgression of conventional gender norms. (Buchholz et al, 2002). An in-depth understanding of the above can, it is argued, lead to avoidance of the deficits or malaise (this seems so normal in the dystopian scheme), of the modern world. This essay deals with the reconstruction of the modern city as Las Vegas, within the limitations of cultural space to highlight the role of authoritative control and also its absence in promoting a liberal society. The role of exhibitions and cinema and how this relates to the changes in the entertainment and gambling industry in Las Vegas will be defined. Modern Conditioning in Relation to Geographies In ancient civilizations like the Mesopotamian, the 'juridico-discursive' power is entirely at the hands of a 'sovereign authority who exercised absolute control over the population through the threat or open display of violence' (Foucault, 1978). Surveillance, becomes an important tool of the state is but, a sort of mapping of contours, geographies, and finally human beings too. Modern states also used such "thematic mapping technologies", a notable one, being "the cadastral map, which record land ownership and resource characteristics" (Goss, Jon. 1995). Constant surveillance which, when internalized, as in "disciplining the body, takes hold of the mind as well to induce a psychological state of 'conscious and permanent visibility" (Foucault 1977). It then becomes a disciplinary power that is used directly on the body, and collectively, to control social groups. Foucault speaks of the structured ways of knowing and exercising this power, in respect of Body, Power and the Sexuality; Subjectivity, identity and resistance; and Freedom, power and Politics.( Armstrong,2005). The Relevance of Psycho-geography in Modern Geography Psycho-geography is defined as "The study of specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organised or not, on the emotions and behaviour of individuals"(Situationniste Internationale, 1958). It was first developed by the 'Lettrist International,' as part of their system of unitary urbanism. It has since evolved to encompass many things; "psycho geography is one antithetical pole among many which realizes the conflict between our idealized role as citizens and our subjectivity arising from the material conditions of our life"(Psycho geography, 2005). The Modern Metropolis The development of culture is characterized by the preoccupation the "objective spirit" over the "subjective spirit. The objective culture is defined as the collection of rules, tools, symbols and products created by human beings and the subjective culture is what individuals have been able to absorb and integrate into them-selves from the objective culture. Metropolitan life places the utmost importance to stable but impersonal time schedule. There seems to be in the metropolitan style, direct dissociation in reality, in one of its elemental forms which is socialization (Simmel, 1908). A link has been conceived between the new social and environmental conditions of the metropolis and psychological state of continuity. It has strong connotations to the destruction and re-construction of modern cities (like Paris, Berlin etc,) as dictated by the changes in mobility, economy, technology and infrastructure which all go in the making of the Metropolis. The case of Las Vegas as a modern city is described in detail below. Making the modern: World Fairs and Exhibitions "The Century" segment of ABC Nightly News on Friday, May 28, 1999, dealt with the 1939 presentation of the NYWF. The timeline says, "New York wanted to build the "World of Tomorrow," and made progress the central theme of the fair". Exhibitions served as doorways of knowledge about history through myriad disciplines - geology, natural history, archaeology, and anthropology and of course the latest branches of geography. Exhibitions show, in the words of Jack Crowley, "that there are moments where you can see the world turning from what it is into what it will be". Exhibitions are public places in which the people can be educated and impressed upon about art, science, future etc. and this according to Le Bon is a powerful mental disciplinary tool, of the modern state; "to know the art of impressing the imagination of crowds is to know at the same time the art of governing them"(Le Bon, 1896). New experiences like the Parachute Jump (1939 WF), The Queens Museum of Art in Flushing, Art Exhibits of the French, German, and some unforgettable events like "the 10,000,000 volt lightning display at the fair was a dressed up copy of the lightning equipment in the high voltage laboratory in the General Electric Pittsfield, MA large transformer plant" and "mighty Railroads on Parade and Railroads at Work" (NYWF, 1996) were spectacular ever. As Lewis Mumford sums up Exhibitions, "as members of a great metropolis, to think of the world at large, we may lay the foundation for a pattern of life which would have an enormous impact in times to come".(1937) In a modern city, exhibitions tend to serve as the snapshot to the future world and the world that is yet to come. The "Picture-house" as a Modern Place Cinema was first termed as movies or moving pictures. In the history of Motion Pictures, most films were silent and short. Though initially viewed for the novelty, in the early 1910's, silent films became more complex and lengthy becoming, increasingly an art form and literary form (Yahnke, 1996). The Movies proved to be powerful reflections that lay threadbare the identity, societal institutions and political power struggles that remained as constructed entities in the Metropolis. Conventions of discourse developed, in cinema, as the viewing, and consuming subject was introduced to and moved through the discourse. The cinema also, provided one of few acceptable spaces for women in the public sphere. The city and its markets and squares and theaters of all kinds propelled women into the public as never before and their new status as public figures, ratified by both the marketplace and increasing progressive political and social activity. Making the Modern Cities: Las Vegas Las Vegas was discovered as an unexplored valley by Spanish traders who saw the abundant wild grasses and plentiful water supply. The traders named the valley as 'Las Vegas' meaning the Meadows. The later discovery of minerals led to the development of the mining industry here and by 1890 railroad developers decided to make Las Vegas the primary location for a rest facility and a new town with unique features. In the beginning of the 20th century, gambling became legalized in Nevada and resorts and hotels were soon built by the middle of the 20th century (McCracken, 1997). Las Vegas soon became the world's top location for gambling and entertainment and the city soon saw an influx of strippers, musicians, entertainers, and instrumentalists (McCracken, 1997). Mega resorts and associated holiday celebrations soon made Las Vegas a primary destination for Americans and tourists alike. If New York is considered as the financial capital of the world with the World Trade Centre and World Bank towering over Manhattan; Paris is considered the art and fashion capital with the advent of the exhibition; London is considered as the centre of the Industrial revolution; Las Vegas is considered the entertainment capital of the World within the context of the rise and making of modern cities. The relevance of psycho-geography is noted here as Las Vegas is positioned between the Spanish influence of Mexico and the American influences of Hollywood and California making it a unique city to imbibe cultural transitions. Along with the exhibitions, the cinema and the modern metropolis as reflected through the cultural transformations in modern cities especially as in the case of Las Vegas, the entertainment industry as a direct successor of exhibitions came to contribute the central role in redefining societal perceptions, the role of women in society and the conceptual limitations of a modern city. Las Vegas has seen as a transformation from wild meadows to the primary gambling and entertainment spot in the world with significant contributions to the American economy. The city seems to have tamed authoritative surveillance rules as gambling has been legalised and all restrictions to entertainment have been lifted to show the makings of a free city that redefined cultural and societal limitations through its reconstruction processes. Through the transformation and exemplary changes of Las Vegas we see a de-structuring of gender norms, a utopic society with regeneration of a distinct culture (not necessarily good or bad) but definitely characterised by a social order in the reconstruction of a city as opposed to the original unexplored chaotic unstructured space. Bibliography: McCracken, Robert D. Las Vegas :the great American playground /Robert D. McCracken. Expanded ed. Reno :University of Nevada Press,c1997. Also see in Las Vegas Official website: History http://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/FactsStatistics/history.htm Read More