Stephanie Velona on Apathy and Conclusion

Apathy
In the chapter on Apathy, McKee introduces the concept of culture jamming which "attempts to change the way that people think about the world by playing with existing culture, and thus introducing new ideas into the public sphere" (172). This idea seems to me t be an old one with a new name. People for a very long time have been trying to influence how other people think about things, and to influence them to change their minds. Maybe it has become more prevalent with mass media and the Internet. I believe that McKee is correct that there is a definite youth culture just as there are other cultures.

In regards to public apathy in politics due to the "mass media turning politics into a spectator sport or a consumable commodity" (175), I am not sure I agree. Can we really blame the media or are we not, as individuals, taking responsibility and doing our part. Are we not making ourselves aware of the issues and deciding what we need to do. America has a very low voting rate because people do not care to take responsibility and stand for what they believe is right. It is easy to blame the President for the troubles in the US when you sit at home and watch the news, but did not participate in the election process. There is no way to make people vote or to become responsible enough to take an interest in our countries political well being, but I do think that blaming the media for our lack of interest and lack of motivation to research the issues ourselves rather ridiculous. I guess another area where I am between Habermas and Foucault is that I think that "consuming the media (is) itself a political act" (198), yet that is not where it ends, in consuming the media we need to research and find out what the facts are not just what the media's slant on the facts are.

Conclusion
In the conclusion it feels like McKee is defending his perspective or at the very least why he has the perspectives that he does. In presenting his perspective McKee believes that 'modern' voices are responsible for silencing marginal cultures, in the same respect marginal cultures are speaking out in an attempt to silence the dominant cultures while having their voices heard. So is there ever a way for true equality to happen? Is there ever a way for all voices to be heard?

I have to admit that I do think that McKee is a bit arrogant when he says that Haber mas and modernists when writing about other forms of culture seem to be coming from a place of ignorance. Just because I don't agree with a certain culture or cultural perspective does not mean I am ignorant it just means that I do not agree, and that it is ok for me to have my own beliefs. Again though I think, like McKee that true equality will be elusive.