[Xmca-l] Re: Imagination;semiotic mediation

[Glassman, Michael]

This is really interesting on a number of levels - but isn't the picture mediated by our experience, or perhaps our activity system.  I find it interesting that Andy is from Australia and he suggests palmistry.  And Huw is from England (is this right Hus) and he suggests eugenics, however in he United States the Trump campaign has been a terrifying phenomenon.  His most virulent weapon has been Twitter.  All of the string of words are similar to Twitter posts.  Twitter is an interesting tool.  The original idea was based on bicycle messaging and knowing where any messenger is in the grid at any time.  Its greatest power is in creating shifts in public thinking on a very, very general way.  Trump is basically a master of this through Tweeting and sub-tweeting.  He uses a volunteer army of Twitter users to control the discourse at any particular time he wants.  But it is more than that.  Trump I think is holding up his left hand.  One of the few times somebody holds up a hand in that way is to take an other - the oath of the presidency included - except it is the left hand.   The half-truths he uses on Twitter to reach the presidency will lead to a presidency based on deception.  

	
It makes me think how much the moment impact the experience of the viewer, on multiple levels, which is why I am thinking activity system, impacts where our mind goes on seeing a picture.  It also made me think of Chaplin, the American/English version of Eisenstein I think.  There are so many of his scenes that are so powerful but I think of Modern Times when he gets caught in the machine.  I think it is just an interesting commentary on industrialization.  But I wonder the person caught in the throes of industrialization of the time might have been thinking.  And I also wonder what the millennial who has only known the information age might be thinking.  It's different for each I think because we see it differently.

Michael


-----Original Message-----
From: xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu [mailto:xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu] On Behalf Of Annalisa Aguilar
Sent: Sunday, March 27, 2016 1:36 AM
To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity <xmca-l@mailman.ucsd.edu>
Subject: [Xmca-l] Re: Imagination;semiotic mediation


BTW:

Eugenics has the Greek etymology of eu- meaning "good" or "well," and genos, meaning "race," "stock," "kin," that is... "well-born".

This may relate to the short fingers, which also makes a reference to mating, and also possibly, just possibly sterilization.

The image becomes cleverer every second!

:)

Kind regards,

Annalisa