Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Closure

Closure as defined by Scott McCloud is the phenomenon of observing the parts but perceiving the whole. It is the idea that the world exists beyond our immediate five senses and that we have to assume that it does in order for us to survive. We do this on a regular basis whether we admit to it or not. I am not in my car right now, obviously, but I can safely assume (for the most part) that my car is where I last parked it and that it did not fade into oblivion. However, McCloud plays on these assumptions that we make. There is a panel where we see him standing.

(not done)
"The spectacle is able to subject human beings to itself because the economy has already totally subjugated them. It is nothing other than the economy developing for itself. It is at once a faithful reflection of the production of things and a distorting objectification of the producers."- Guy Debord

The biggest political issue as of late has been health care reform. With worries about jobs and money, any way of saving money seems to be more important than ever. People are already "totally subjugated" by the economy as noted by Debord. People always seem to be enamored when there is a recession or even a depression. The economy seems to be on the tip of everyone's tongue and almost all actions are done with the economy in mind.

In America, we focus most of our economic minds on Adam Smith and his work The Wealth of Nations. In it he describes the "invisible hand" of the economy. When a recession comes in, political leaders are always quick to mention that this is just the economy going through its normal ups and downs.