Konstantin Dukhovnyy, IDC 4001H – Prof. Maciuika, 1/29/14

The ideals of Rousseau, Marx, and Paz have been lost in today’s age of so-called “efficiency.” Each of the three pieces describes how modernism has corrupted society and the individual. Corporations don’t care about ethics, governments aren’t looking to change society for the better, and individuals are lost in the monotony of every day life. No longer do people push for change the way modern movements of the 19^th and 20^th centuries under Marx and Nietzsche did. There is much less criticism of industrial practices today then there were at the height of the Industrial Revolution. Society doesn’t tackle the problems of inequality: social, racial, and economic. Even artistic movements have less impact on today’s society than the thought-provoking works of the Romantic poets and modern artists.

All three pieces do state how there is hope for today’s society in enacting change. The arts are beginning to provide a realm of open thought and a place for change. But modern society isn’t ready to fight for change because of their complacency. We have become the children of the nightmares of Marx and Rousseau. Social media has provided some forum for change, especially among the youth, but it takes too much energy and time for mass movements to occur. As the “Rocket Machine” article showed, even today’s corporations are supporting complacency; seemingly innovative enterprises are supporting the status quo instead of investing in new ideas. There is no change, no fight for change, and no need for change in today’s society. Technological developments are changing the shape of our future yet there is no human influence on change. The masses need to pressure governments, corporations, and each other to provide positive change for progress. Society has more opportunities now more than ever to create societal and individual progress; we simply aren’t taking advantage of it.

IDC opinion 1