Wark Review

                The Spectacle of Disintegration by McKenzie Wark is based on the premise that the Situationist Movement did not end when the Situationist International disbanded in 1972 and that it is still alive and well in the modern world. To do this, Wark chronicles the history of Situationism from 1968 on. Wark had already written The Beach Beneath the Street, which discussed Situationism up to this point, which raises one of the main problems with the book. Wark immediately dives into Situationism, assuming that either we have read The Beach Beneath the Street or have extensive knowledge of the Situationist Movement before reading this book. This is not a stand-alone book by any means, but does not advertise that a reader will have difficulty if they have no background on the subject. In order to get the most out of this book, the reader needs to have a background in Situationism and 19^th Century French Are, both of which are specific and not particularly overlapping areas.

            The structure of the book added to its inaccessibility. Each chapter was a separate anecdote, and while some of these were quite entertaining, they did not clearly connect into an overarching narrative. I understand that Wark purposefully removed these anecdotes in order to make a theoretical agenda for Situationism in everyday modern life in order to prove that it still is applicable today, but this has the consequence of forcing the reader to pick up context along the way. The anecdotes are so short that you can read a majority of one before you know what is going on, then you have to reread it now that you have context to fully understand what is being said.

All of these anecdotes acted as metaphors for what Wark was attempting to explain, but again, they required expert knowledge to comprehend. I had none of this knowledge so I read and knew the meanings of the majority of the words I was reading, but never understood what was going on. This was not for lack of trying on my part, I did research on the Situationist International, but was still rather mystified by what the spectacle, the central idea of the entire book, truly was. Wark would have been well served by including an introductory chapter that clearly elucidated the central tenets of Situationism at the very least.

            Eventually, I began to understand the spectacle, the society that surrounds it, and what it has become a little more. Initially, the concept of the spectacle was centralized. Governments used media and images to control their population. These governments more or less had a monopoly on the spectacle, but the rise of Mass Media has decentralized the spectacle. Now, we are bombarded by images from governments and corporations through a variety of media. The rise of the Internet also gave more of a voice to individuals as well. All of this combines to shape and control what we see as the norm. Even if we are not aware of it, the spectacle shapes us and our perception of the world we live in. To exemplify that the spectacle exists, Wark discussed two revolutions, one in France in 1848 and the other in Thailand in 2010. The latter provides an example of the spectacle in modern times. Radio broadcasts were used to incite the revolution and bring about a change in the power structure.

            While I did struggle with this reading, I can see how it applies to the class. Wark provides examples of people who are aware of the spectacle and use this awareness to bring about change. These individuals participate in enacting real change not only by calling for change, but also by changing how they live their lives once they realize the spectacle and what those creating it want us to think and believe. While it is one thing to be aware of the spectacle, it is another to be able to break free from its control. I wonder if anyone truly can be free of the spectacle. We are indoctrinated at such a young age and it is so pervasive in our lives that I doubt that anyone can truly break completely free from the control of the spectacle.