Comments on the Society of the Spectacle (The Verso Classics Series)

"Their general headquarters is secret but I think that it is somewhere in London. They are not students, but are what is known as situationists; they travel everywhere and exploit the discontents of students."—News of the World.First published in 1967, Guy Debord's stinging revolutionary critique of contemporary society, The Society of the Spectacle, has since acquired a cult status. Credited by many as being the inspiration for the ideas generated by the events of May 1968 in France, Debord's pitiless attack on commodity fetishism and its incrustation in the practices of everyday life continues to btirn brightly in today's age of satellite television and the soundbite In Comments on the Society of the Spectacle published twenty years later, Debord returned to the themes of his previous analysis and demonstrated how they were all the more relevant in a period when the 'integrated spectacle' was dominant. Resolutely refusing to be reconciled to the system, Debord trenchantly slices through the doxa and mystification offered tip by journalists and pundits to show how aspects of reality as diverse as terrorism and the environment, the Mafia and the media, were caught in the logic of the spectacular society. Pointing the finger clearly at those who benefit from the logic of domination, Debord's Comments convey the revolutionary impulse at the heart of situationism. “Guy Debord is a time bomb, and a difficult one to defuse.”—Michael L?wy.First published in 1967, Guy Debord's stinging revolutionary critique of contemporary society, The Society of the Spectacle has since acquired a cult status. Credited by many as being the inspiration for the ideas generated by the events of May 1968 in France, Debord's pitiless attack on commodity fetishism and its incrustation in the practices of everyday life continues to burn brightly in today's age of satellite television and the soundbite. In Comments on the Society of the Spectacle, published twenty years later, Debord returned to the themes of his previous analysis and demonstrated how they were all the more relevant in a period when the "integrated spectacle" was dominant. Resolutely refusing to be reconciled to the system, Debord trenchantly slices through the doxa and mystification offered tip by journalists and pundits to show how aspects of reality as diverse as terrorism and the environment, the Mafia and the media, were caught up in the logic of the spectacular society. Pointing the finger clearly at those who benefit from the logic of domination, Debord's Comments convey the revolutionary impulse at the heart of situationism. I ......Page 6 II ......Page 7 III......Page 10 IV......Page 13 V......Page 16 VI......Page 18 VII......Page 21 VIII......Page 26 IX......Page 29 X......Page 32 XI......Page 35 XII......Page 37 XIII......Page 39 XIV......Page 44 XV......Page 48 XVI......Page 49 XVII......Page 55 XVIII......Page 57 XIX......Page 62 XX......Page 63 XXI......Page 65 XXII......Page 67 XXIII......Page 68 XXIV......Page 70 XXV ......Page 72 XXVI......Page 74 XXVII......Page 77 XXVIII......Page 79 XXIX......Page 84 XXX......Page 86 XXXII......Page 90 XXXIII......Page 94 Translator's Notes......Page 95 This book is a return to the themes of Debord's stinging critique of contemporary society, The Society of the Spectacle, first published in 1967. The author demonstrates how these themes were all the more relevant in a period when the "integrated spectacle" was dominant. He shows how aspects of reality as diverse as terrorism and the environment, the mafia and the media, were caught up in the lotic of spectacular society. Pointing the finger clearly at those who benefit from the logic of domination, this book conveys the revolutionary impulse at the heart of situations Presents an update to "Society of the Spectacle" that offers insights into the phenomenon of the spectacle, which is the use of mass media, consumerism, capitalism, and political systems to create a world distorted from reality. This is a seminal text in cultural theory and an essential pocket handbook for situationists wherever they may be. Guy Debord ; Translated By Malcolm Imrie. Translation Of: Commentaires Sur La Société Du Spectacle.