Notes: Zizek - first as tragedy then as farce

"At the level of consumption, this new spirit is that of so-called "cultural capitalism" : we primarily buy commodities neither on account of their utility nor as status symbols; we buy them to get the experience provided by them, we consume them in order to render our lives pleasurable and meaningful"

p.52

"In Paul Verhoeven's dystopia Total Recall, an agency offers to install memories of an ideal holiday into the brain-one no longer even has to actually travel to another place, it is much more practical, and cheaper, simply to purchase memories of the trip." 

"Another version of the same principle would be to experience the desired holiday in virtual reality-since what really matters is the experience, why not go only for that, bypassing the clumsy detour through reality?"
p.52/53

 

> Zizek uses the example of Total Recall to explain our love for virtual reality. The practicality of having memories installed in us of the perfect holiday is far better than having to go through all the commotion that comes with physically experiencing holidays; as well as being cost effective. If what Zizek says about us consuming to solely get experience administering from it is true, then the reason why these hyper real spaces are so appealing becomes more apparent. 

"Consumption is supposed to sustain the quality of life, its time should be "quality time" -not the time of alienation, of imitating models imposed by society, of the fear of not being able to "keep up with the Joneses;' but the time of the authentic fulfilment of my true Self,"

p.53