What do you guys think about postmodernism?

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I've read some Nietzsche and usually tend to agree with his views on morality, religion, perspectivism, and religion, but I recently got this book and read up on postmodern though on wiki and am really confused. Most of these guys have invented new words and it seems you have to take a 6 month course to even understand what they're trying to say. Be it deconstruction (which I think I understand somewhat) post structuralism and whatnot. Other than saying theres no such thing as truth, objectivity and the inadequacy of language what are they trying to get at? What do you guys think about postmodern thought and especially it's application to art.
 
When I took Lit theory, we looked at deconstruction and postmodernism (among other theories) and their application to high art, specifically canonized literature. I'm still under the belief that from my experiences with postmodernism that it's impossible to understand. It supports objectivity and relativism simultaneously; spins ideologies for no reason other than to deviate from common conventions; and advocates role reversals. Your (our) interpretation of these postmodern staples is wholly dependent on their context but, to be honest, their significance and applications are essentially groundless and irrelevant. These theories don't exist for any other reason than for intellectual debate and classification; they have virtually no use outside of academics. I mean, occasionally people might refer to architecture as being "postmodern", but most people don't even understand the term when they use it.
 
I think my biggest problem with postmodernism is that, in trying to be all-encompassing, it refuses to define itself. As an artistic form, there are few places that art can go from here.
 
Hmm, well, Im very confused, theres so much nonsense out there it's unbelievable. I mean everything, religion, science, rationalism, everything has its critics and counter movements and counter movements of those movements till it's conpletely mind numbing. What can a guy believe in anymore?
 
You should believe that whatever doesn't kill you, simply makes you...stranger.

No, but seriously? Ignore the major, contextual, ideologically-dense theories and use your own individuality to form your interpretations. Postmodernism will in no way help guide your beliefs on anything, at least, not in a tangible way.
 
I think my biggest problem with postmodernism is that, in trying to be all-encompassing, it refuses to define itself. As an artistic form, there are few places that art can go from here.
Yea, Im looking at it from that perspective. How will it or has affected art. I mean movies are inland empire are good, but not every movie or a work of art should be like that. Suddenly everything is art..
 
I think my biggest problem with postmodernism is that, in trying to be all-encompassing, it refuses to define itself. As an artistic form, there are few places that art can go from here.
And because of that, it refuses to examine itself either. Post-modernism is applied to everything except post-modernism. Thus, post-modernism has become the governing principle of literally everything, even fundamentalist religion, even anti-post-modernism! But no one stops to examine whether a post-modern life is one we truly want, whether its impacts are always positive.

Unfortunately, they aren't. Post-modernism, unchecked by any opposing ethos, has allowed morality to become basically nonexistent. It has removed the last remaining fetters on individualism, to the point at which community concerns and standards are meaningless, and if one ever tries to suggest that an individual has responsibilities to the community, one is labeled a socialist, a communist, a collectivist, a fundamentalist, a conservative, or an anti-individualist, depending on who's doing the accusing.

Post-modernism has thus created a world in which no one trusts anything, morality is no longer even subjective so much as it is dismissed and marginalized, and individualism trumps all else to the point at which there are no community concerns and all that matters is #1. Post-modernism and capitalism combine to create a terrifying, amoral, aggressive, brutal, individualistic machine of a culture.
 
Hmm, isn't post-modernism against capitalism though? from what I know Micheal Foccualt was a socialist his entire like, before he embraced anarchism near the end of his life.
 
When i took Music in Film in college my teacher taught us postmodern scoring which was basically using an existing piece of music in an unexpected way. The example in class was Steeler's Wheel - Stuck in the Middle being played during the ear cutting scene in Reseroir Dogs. Other obvious examples are the shootout in Face/Off while Somewhere over the rainbow is playing and when classical music is played during the Punisher vs Russian fight.

As a scoring technique i think it is quite effective but it is probably the element of film that forces you the most to realize you are watching a movie, rather than getting lost in the story. The grander scale of its elements applied to law and philosphy I cant really help with but I thought someone might find my previous statement interesting.
 
Hmm, isn't post-modernism against capitalism though? from what I know Micheal Foccualt was a socialist his entire like, before he embraced anarchism near the end of his life.

Can't say. I only know postmodernism in terms of art, literature and things like that.
 
Many post-modernists are anti-capitalist, but the philosophy is by definition uncontrollable. Most Americans are capitalists, as are most humans, simply by nature, but for most of human history there were moral checks against unbridled individualism. Post-modernism removes those checks, because they're all just subjective social constructs, which allows all of us to be as vicious and inhuman as we want to be, in pursuit of our own desires.
 

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