“ For one thing, the suggestion that true popular power lies in choosing between Mars Bars and Fry’s Chocolate Cream bars suggests a certain decline in the democratic ideal from the days of Thomas Jefferson, not to speak of the Athenian city-state. Freedom now lies in deciding which particular set of grubby little deceptions to resist. ”
—Emily Dickinson
— Terry Eagleton, in his madly mad review of On Brand by Wally Olins
This is a nice logo, a peaceful clean logo. Is it really evil? Am I my soap? And what is a Fry’s Chocolate Cream Bar? Terry must be British. Twix, Milky Way, Kit Kat, Snickers. That’s what I’m talking about. Hey, speaking of logos, that was wack what Snickers did with their logo. Changing up the words . . . that was like the American Revolution or something. What do you mean I am not free?
i recently finished reading david foster wallace’s infinite jest and this quote immediately brings to mind the issues of freedom/ freedom of choice that permeate the book; for instance, what really constitutes true freedom/ how do we achieve it/ is it even desirable, especially in light of the media and entertainment diet we are spoon fed? In making choices that pursue purely our own self interest and innate pleasure seeking drive (ie doing whatever we want) can we really be free? is that really freedom? and what then when the pursuit of those pleasures results in “cages” of addictions/ desires/ obsessions that entrap us? Maybe true freedom comes from discipline and other-imposed choices, from not giving in to self-serving desires, from having someone teach us how to choose, from having to choose “from” rather than just choosing “to”, from having to take into account someone or something outside of and larger than just our own selves. Doesnt that somehow free us from some of those cages and isnt that a truer freedom? All just rambling food for thought here, but i still think i might be willing to sacrifice a little freedom for a well-advertised mars bar…