[FRA:] Marcuse question

[Kenneth MacKendrick]

Jim,

Yes, yes I do see the irony in these statements! Adorno's critique, however,
was directed at the masses as being conformist, a modification of Fromm's
sado-masochistic personality. I observed, not particularly well I suppose,
that the masses don't exist. Frank Sinatra wins the day: "I did it my way."
We're not in a sea of penguins, we're in a sea of several million
individuals each wearing their own unique lifestyle. Aha! Millions all doing
the same thing... conformity! Well, no, at this point so say that millions
all doing their own thing is "conformity" is to render the concept useless.
A million different directions is better understood as individuation or
atomoziation, not conformity. Yes, there are elements of shared social
streamlining... everyone wants to smoke pot at least once. You can't call
this conformism though, conformism was the anxiety of a previous age, it
isn't as useful a concept now... a better term might be conspicuous
consumption or competitive consumption. We buy our identities.

When it comes to subjectivity and individuality Adorno was an incredibly
dynamic thinker. However he too easily saw conformity as fascist. Conformity
is one of the things that makes progressive politics possible. 100 people in
a room licking stamps. The person that stands up and says, "Who are we to
lick stamps anymore - I'm going to kick over a McDonald's" is a deviant. The
rest of the Amnesty International writing campaign are political protestors.
Another example: The suburbs could be extraordinarily efficient, as could
apartment buildings. Why do most people hate them? School uniforms don't
enjoin people to the military, to take their knocks and like it... but they
do curb excessive forms of individual expression and competition. Of course
so does a good nutrition program. Play, serious or not, is fashionable, and
fashion is competition. I remain convinced that one of the main problems
with modern society is NOT conformity - it is the excessive competition that
encourages people to make really bad choices that are, unfortunately, fairly
rational: like buying an SUV. We all know the SUV is the biggest on the
street, so because you neighbour bought one YOU have to buy one in order to
survive. If you don't, he'll hit you and you and your car will be dead.
Dead. As a cyclist I have to buy an orange jacket and a flare gun... the
market is created defensively, simply for the sake of survival. Conformity
is a misdiagnosis.

Once we realize that conformity isn't the problem then we can see that the
left and the right don't meet. Until then the far right and the left seem to
be speaking the same language. The right hates capitalism because it ain't
got religion... the left hates capitalism because it ain't got heart... 

As for the critique of false individuality. Yes, I agree. But I think this
critique of individuality is a problem. It is metaphysical. Right thoughts
in the wrong world are impossible... where is Adorno standing that he can
provide such judgement on the universe? (Agnes Heller wrote that). The
problem is not that we are living in the "wrong world." 

Ken

-----Original Message-----
From: theory-frankfurt-school-bounces at srcf.ucam.org
[mailto:theory-frankfurt-school-bounces at srcf.ucam.org] On Behalf Of James
Rovira
Sent: Saturday, February 25, 2006 4:31 AM
To: Discussion of Frankfurt School critical theory
Subject: Re: [FRA:] Marcuse question

I find it interesting that this poster doesn't see the irony in the
following words:

"Well, I can't contradict your personal experience. But the critique of
conformity is pretty much accepted universally. Everyone hates the man in
the grey flannel suit, "up organizational man!" And so everyone lives
without rules."

"The critique of conformity is pretty much accepted universally..."

"Everyone hates the man in the grey flannel suit..."

You don't see social conformity embedded in these sentences?  This reminds
me of an old Gary Larson comic: one black and white penguin in a sea of
black and white penguins standing up in the middle and signing, "I gotta be
me..."

Perhaps one object of critique of DoE is false individuality?  We all seem
to be critiquing conformity in the same way.  Nothing suspect there?

Jim R.
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