Freud's Perspective

Although this youtube video is a comedic representation of 'modern' fetish, in actuality it contains some sharp insight into Freud's work in "Fetishism" and possibly extends the argument beyond what was originally intended. Most of his theories are based typically on the male aspect of the respected argument as is work on fetish's. Yet though lacking in a female counterpart, due to the fact that there are a few previous relevant theories that do have a basic ground work in both male and female aspect, 'Fetishism' can be extended into what Freud may have argued as to how it may have been applied in the case of women. Much of the fetish idea has its roots in the Oedipus/Electra complex as well as castration anxiety/penis envy. These set up a dualistic transition to fetish in that the fetish stems from these two sets of ideas as well as them showing how a possible female application, from Freud's perspective, is possible.

The Oedipus Complex is the focal point that eventually leads to the possible outcome of fetish development. Since none are free from the fact that "the oracle laid the same curse upon us...[and] it is the fate of all of us..." (Freud 816) to go through this complex everyone must deal with the same initial shock of realization that accompanies this stage of life. Freud sets out a female counter part in this stage as being the Electra Complex. One of the outcomes, which is in direct relation to fetish's, is castration anxiety, in which the young boy, after repressing his desire for the mother and identifying with the father, has a moment where he is fearful that he will have his penis removed by his father. The female aspect that Freud theorized was penis envy. Here instead of fearing that the father for castration reasons, the daughter envies the father for having what she lacks; a penis. These are obvious simplifications, yet they are the keys that lead to the basis of fetish and that is that "the fetish is a substitute for the penis...for the woman's (the mother's) penis...to preserve it from extinction" (Freud 842). This is only the case for males as it is through the repression of the shock from the lack of a mothers penis that leads to a possible development of fetishes. These fetishes become the outlet for the repression. In the case of a female, Freud might be seen to agree with an argument that a female fetish develops out of repression of knowledge that she lacks a penis in which the father has. For males it is a repression of anxiety of a possible loss and for females it maybe be a repression of desire for what she doesn't have or in a sense, fright of castration becomes the fright of being incomplete turning into a desire to gain what is missing.

So where does the video come in? Here it is seen a male fetish vs female fetish as well as showing that female fetishes' do exist. A lot relies on typical male dominated stereotypes, but that's all the better from a Freudian perspective. The husbands 'fetish' is quickly seen as represented by the immediate, uncomplicated (idea wise) leather outfit, which Freud might argue is an equivalent to "the last moment in which the woman could still be regarded as phallic" (Freud 843). But more specifically this is an object oriented choice, which is the basis for a fetish. However, the wife's 'object choice' is vastly different. Her fetish is emotionally oriented around her husband crying. This easily matches Freud's idea of penis envy and the power involved. Her choice here is a situation in which the male 'authority' is 'castrated' and thus she gains sexuality through a power reversal dominance. The wife's emotional memory trigger leads her to substitute the lack of power/penis for this fetish. Again this is a Freudian outlook on how 'Fetishism' extends to the possible female perspective of fetish (ie: this is a disclaimer. These views are not those of the author [me] and are not intended to offend any possible readers...yada yada :)


Freud, Sigmund. "The Interpretation of Dreams", "Fetishism". Ed. Vincent Leitch. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. Second Edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company Inc, 2010. Print.

Blog 2

Trees

Days. Or had it been months now? He couldn't be sure. Things were... different here. The flow of time didn't feel like the concept he held in memory. Fah! Memory. He cursed that as much as everything else fickle in this place. But he had gotten used to it, or as much as one could here. Senses adjusted to a degree to change, adapting to things that would normally have his brain screaming that they shouldn't exist in such a fashion. Yet his eyes never managed to block the wrongness. The color seemed to have drained out of reality. There were still traces of it here and there but for the most part it seemed that luster and hues were muted to a bare glimmer. All that survived were murky grays and dusty browns. Even white seemed faded, if that color could be said to. The only untouched of the spectrum was black, which actually seemed to thrive as if all that was drained only served to channel directly into energizing it further. He had thought it wise to give wide berth to spots where shadows seemed more then they should be. Now, however, he clung close to the ancient trees that lined the path he took. The corporeal whispers deep in the surrounding mist made discretion a well suited choice. He sighed. He reminded himself that there were most likely things worse then this place, where ever here was. A tickle of memory made him think that following that instinct, as he always had, was better then flinging himself head long into the long spaces in between the paths despite his belief that continuing on was futile. He couldn't remember what had come before this but he would continue on for as long as he was able to. Survival seemed all he been reduced to. And that's all it took for him to continue on through wisps of fog. Allowing himself to be swallowed whole. Allowing himself to be endlessly spit out somewhere else. Never into what came before. Never into clarity. Never into an end.


Some early theorists argue that sublime is, if not a thing of beauty then, a thing of awe, greatness or a thing that is elevated above all else. So in the case of the above narrative, would it be considered something of the sublime? To some it may not be, yet to Edmund Burke description it would undoubtedly meet the requirement. 'Trees' establishes a mood that "excite[s] the ideas of pain, and danger" and since it "is in any sort terrible...in a manner analogous to terror [it] is a source of the sublime" (Burke 459). And that is where 'Tree's' exists, in the idea and threat of these ideas. It stands on the precipice, the possibility of terror. Hidden with in the ambiguity is a foreshadow of 'things worse then this place'. Burke sees these principles as "the most powerful of all the passions" (Burke 458) more so then those that are pleasurable yet since this in a form that a reader may take a step back and experience it safely for themselves, that buffer between the reader and the possibility of pain or terror can be a source of pleasure in itself. It is this aesthetic distance that allows the reader to enjoy the sublime aspect that are "dark and gloomy, rugged and negligent" (Burke 460).


Burke, Edmund. "Our Ideas of the Sublime and the Beautiful" Ed. Vincent Leitch. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. Second Edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company Inc, 2010. Print.

Blog 1

This clip uses a rhetoric basis of persuasion with a sublime approach. The way this is created is because there are two 'speakers' evident, one being the dominate verbal speaker (G Edward Griffin) and the video creator (Hijackednation). The verbal message or words becomes that of the rhetoric structure and the video that of the sublime in its style. It is with this dual intertwining that structure and style blend two theories together.

As far as the rhetoric structure goes, there are many aspects of this theory evident within the video. Aristotle's 'On Rhetoric' states that there are three forms of persuasion: there are "some...in the character [ethos]... some in the speech [logos] ... [and some] to feel emotion [pathos]" (Aristotle 115). Due to the "genera of rhetoric" (Aristotle 116) chosen, that of deliberative and specifically that of dissuasion (a sub set within deliberative as discussed by Aristotle), the ethos used by the speaker is an 'anti' ethos of sorts as seen at time markers 3:46, 5:30, and 6:45 where G Edward Griffin debases the character of all those involved in the Federal Reserves actions including the government and the banking cartels. Where logos is concerned, it is abundant through out the video in the form of explanations of how the Federal Reserve functions, basic economy and other points of data as seen in time markers 3:46 and when the constitution is brought into the discussion at 7:20. Even though logos and ethos are the predominate factors in the verbal portions there is a sense of ethos towards the end. However this over laps with the video aspect and ties in with the sublime theory. Logos, though, becomes the one aspect of rhetoric that is a commonality between it and the sublime.

Although Longinus may argue that things sublime are not accessible by rhetoric definitions, his document "On Sublimity" has many aspects that are seen in the style of this Youtube clip. Longinus explains that "there are...five most productive sources of sublimity" (Longinus 138). The three that Hijackednation meets the most are "the power to conceive great thought...strong and inspired emotion [and] diction" (Longinus 138). In the first aspect, that of "the power to conceive great thoughts" he discusses the idea of imitations of earlier writers. Hijackednation is the epitome of this concept. He crafts the words of G Edward Griffin into something he saw could be more then the original, elevating it above its original conception. He twins in voices of others but allows Mr Griffins to be the focal orator of his grander vision. In the second source, that of "strong and inspired emotion" the clip utilizes both subtle and overt uses. Ominous Music and corrupt images are threaded throughout that touch on what Hijackednation is trying to evoke in his audience leading up to the time marker 9:38 where a section of a caller is heard who is outraged at what is happening. Her emotional resonance sparks in the audience the same reflection. The images he uses however have a double use that over laps with the final point of "Diction" specifically that of metaphor. Through out the video are seen images that he likens to each of the aspects he's arguing against. The federal reserve is seen as a black hole, the government and bank cartel are shown with corrupt images of pigs and demons. He uses pictures that illicit grandeur notions applicable to the idea of sublime diction.

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