On Some Motifs in Baudelaire

Seminar Questions 1. Modernism- Benjamin, Walter On some Motifs in Baudelaire Question 1 In On some Motifs in Baudelaire Walter Benjamin argues that extended exposure to stimuli, or shocks, in the environment alters the human experience of our foundation and pass waters a conditioned reply within the crowd. How does this overstimulation shape our current society and was Benjamin correct in warning against it? Walter Benjamin implied that our minds are not equipped with the facilities to handle these shocks.These damp into environmental stressors and thus our decision-making skills are weakened and we just follow the soul in front of us. While over stimulation is an epidemic in current times I do not believe it has created oblivious hordes of mountain. The biggest effect of over stimulation is an individual(a)s continuous partial tone attention. Not being able to focus on one topic means focusing on multiple tasks and then not doing any(prenominal) of them completely. Our mi nds rapidly switch between a variety of separate channels.Initially, this whitethorn lead to fatigue. However, the mind empennage build off of this and become stronger. This is wherefore current culture deems louder, brighter, faster, and shocking media as better. For society to eyeshade anything it needs to be an attention grabber, and when society is constantly focusing on a variety of media you are bombarded with I do not tick off that these shocks create a conditioned reaction within the crowd only if I do believe they create them within the individual.An individuals need to process multiple channels of information at erst allows information that isnt sold as the biggest, brightest, and best to fall by the cracks. ? Question 2 Walter Benjamins description of a flaneur as a detached observer describes a spectator who seems to maintain their laissez faire from the crowd. One that can break free from rationalized understandings while being subject up to new perspectives an d experiences. Do modern cities and their architecture embrace the judgment of the flaneur? Modern architecture embraces the alienating nature of modernity.It creates cities that encourage crowds and a fast-paced way of life. Commercial typologies like malls, subway systems, and high-rise office buildings create a certain environment that do not encourage individual reactions. When something is designed to garner a similar reaction from different types of people it lessens the chance for chaos and also allows a behavioural expectation to be set within a certain environment. When people are evaluate to react in similar ways it allows the people in counsel to be better prepared for distinctive instances.Police can work better, brass can create more effect universal policies and transportation can run smoother. Therefore, it benefits the rulers of a city to for modern architecture to follow the equal instances. Perhaps the flaneur is the architect, but the vision and idiosyncrasie s that the architect tries to instill within to each one project get syphoned out through different real world factors. Factors that include budgets, clients tastes, feasibility, and materiality. These factors chip away at authentically city changing architecture and create an environment where the same projects persist in to get churned out.