Wax on, wax off. Wane on, wane off.

It's time-to-elect-a-president season again. At this happy hour, my mind ponders on Theodor Adorno's “culture industry” idea. Right now, this industry, which exists for consumption by the masses, at the height of its influence. As seekers of power, politicians know the potency of radio and television. Through its inherent ordering of reality, “[t]he culture industry turns into public relations, the manufacturing of 'goodwill' per se... It proclaims: you shall conform, without instruction as to what; conform to that which exists anyway, and to that which everyone thinks anyway as a reflex of its power and omnipresence.” (Adorno, T. "The Culture Industry Reconsidered", from "The Culture Industry: Selected Essays on Mass Culture"
London: Routledge, 1991)

Adorno believed that everything carried by the culture industry becomes a commodity. When politicians use the media, they are selling themselves and must contort themselves into a new shape to fit the medium. In 2008, Sarah Palin has taken this to a new level, changing from appearance to appearance, playing the character demanded of her on whatever occasion. (It would be no surprise to learn that McCain's campaign team chose Palin for those very chameleon-like abilities.)

See for yourself Palin's waxing and waning across appearences. Who was Palin trying to be on...?

+ September 3^rd: At the Republican National Convention, Palin stands before a large live crowd as a confident, strong leader, aligning herself with an independent maverick.

Palin Type: The Leader

+ September 23^rd: The nation winces during Palin's interview with CBS's Katie Couric when the VP nominee cannot name a Supreme Court case other than Roe v Wade and says that Alaska's proximity to Russia gives her foreign policy experience. Why does Palin look so dumb? Perhaps she's pandering to the Joe Sixpacks out there.

Palin Type: The Lowballer

+ October 3^rd: After Couric, the nation doubts Palin's chances against Joe Biden in the VP debate, meaning that even a modest performance will mean a win of sorts for Palin (in politics, this is called “lowballing”: setting low expectations). At the debate, Palin mixes her “gosh, darn it” persona, with well-timed confident speech.

Palin Type: The Hocky Mom

+ October 18^th: After several wildly popular Palin impersonations by comedian Tina Fey, the real thing appears alongside her doppleganger on Saturday Night Live with an unsurprising non-comedian-grade performance. Palin confidently faces her liberal detractors, strong and smug to her supporters.

Palin Type: The Smug One

+ October 26^th: During a speech, Palin responds to the fuss over alleged purchases of wardrobe items amounting to $150,000 using taxpayers' money. Here, the VP nominee depicts herself as the local girl who's into clothes and rings from the same stores that you and me frequent (note: I don't buy clothes or rings).

Palin Type: The Shopper-Next-Door

Adorno wrote that what the culture industry paints as new is really a repackaging of the old. By this approach, Palin's hockey mom persona might be new to the political stage, but her ultimate goal is old: like me, relate to me, elect me.

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See here for Assignment 3.

See here for Assignment 4.