During our second seminar class, we discussed chapters 4-7 of John Berger’s Ways of Seeing. We mainly discussed oil painting and its tendency to reduce everything in the painting down to an object that can be possessed. Berger describes oil painting as a sort of safety deposit box in which the ruling class can store its ideological interests. We also mentioned the lack of oil paintings that reflect the moments of suffering in society. We compared this to the Facebook and Instagram posts of today. Very rarely do users post their moments of sadness and failure in an attempt to impress their followers. We mentioned that the owners of art today are museums and the wealthy. However, the main difference between the time period in which oil paintings were popular and today is that the masses have free access to art online. The part of the discussion that I found to be the most interesting involved the topic of equating buying power with freedom. Berger basically argues that the choice between Coke and Pepsi has replaced the choice between our political leaders. Sadly, I agree to a certain extent. Many Americans seem to be more interested in shopping and gossiping about celebrities than they are interested in major world events, such as the conflict in Syria. It is also true that in America individuals are judged by what they own. Those with more are deemed to be more successful and desirable. We also asked the mind blowing question of who creates culture and do we have the power to change it? I believe that in order for people to change society, they must first change themselves from being the products of that society into individuals. I also believe that it takes much more than one person to change an entire society; however, it only takes one person to start a movement that will eventually change a society. In many cases, a group of people are waiting for that one person to stand up and argue for change, and then they all follow like dominos. Although social media can be a distraction from important global events, it can also be a tool to inform everyday people of these events. It is also much easier for an individual to begin his or her own movement through social media. In other words, social media gives power to the individual. Who knows what changes lie ahead as a result of this power?