Dr. Jon Rittenhouse’s inspiring lecture “Postmodernism in Our Society” on November 14th was a critical critique of postmodernism’s role in today’s society. Yet while his lecture was clear and resonant, postmodernism’s conception and reality is rather more ambiguous.
Postmodernism proclaims that our era is a hodgepodge of randomness, as postmodernism itself is the engage of the unknown, the independent and the abstract. It rejects all forms of universals, demands not the absolute but the arbitrary and declares that we are a society without direction. In this context, our presence manifests itself by its absence.
Yet people clamor for an overarching narrative – for reaffirmation, for a more noble purpose or even simply for a sense of adrenaline. Seemingly, without a clear direction we are a people without identity and without intention. Our lives, then, become not existential but empty.
So, if the civil rights and gender movements defined the 1960s and 1970s, if the communism versus capitalism debate defined the 1970s and 1980s and if the technological advancements defined the 1990s, what defines today’s story? The West versus “Islamic” fundamentalists?
Simply said, the great defining moment of our generation is arguably the arch that unites us all: globalization.
Globalization connects people. As individuals, we are shaped by the people we meet and by those we talk or don’t talk to. In observing and assimilating the behavior, beliefs and attitudes of the people and community around us, we adopt cultures and the lives of others.
And the electronic media dramatically magnifies this outreach. From far-flung locations, the media screens videos and images of violent demonstrations, of religious dichotomies and of excruciating poverty. In viewing, we see differences and similarities: injustice, prejudice, kindness and wealth. While we might not always reach out, we see. Seeing, simply said, is believing. It expands perspective, implores us to act and provokes us to speak. In fulfilling that role, the electronic media emerges as the most democratic form of liberation.
In interconnectivity, we discover worlds and choices we never knew previously. Instead of depending on literary tomes or word of mouth, we simply travel. Instead of spending on individual gadgets, we buy all-in-one packages such as the iPhone. Our lives evolve for the better.
Accessibility to information diffuses power. While in the past, dictators reigned by spreading fear and suppressing radicals, internet now dismantles this culture. Through blogs we organize rallies and voice discontent. In sharing information, the masses learn about government excesses and revolt accordingly. Hence, the internet emerges as the new checks and balances on executive authority. Power now isn’t merely the pejorative of the elite, but instead spreads to the middle-class.
Globalization offers variety. In finance, Treasury bonds are no longer the sole prestigious attraction. Instead, investors increasingly switch to Euro-denominated assets. New York no longer holds the distinction as the world’s primary financial center. Instead, London does. The rise of China and the growing stature of the European Union proffer alternatives to America.
Nations, moreover, have become so interdependent to each other that internal instabilities no longer proscribe to within nations. Al-Qaeda’s proliferation in Pakistan, for instance, directly threatens America and the world’s security. Through accessibility to technological prowess and nuclear knowhow, the calculus of international relations alters. Nations are no longer islands by themselves. Instead, in accessibility, boundaries disappear.
What does this future promise us? Well, we become a network of interactivity, as social fabrics intertwine through Facebook and MySpace. As a microcosm of a larger whole, we see how our actions, however innocuous, affect those halfway around the world. And the novelty that this challenge presents offers us an important message: we have to keep idealizing, improving and innovating.Globalization means you can also contact ZACH HAN at zklhan@ucdavis.edu.
