The dominant actor is doing the following:
1) interpellation - telling one who one is
2) suture - filling in blanks in meaning - when one is mistaken, they give words
3) historical continuity/project (teleology) - from past until completion
4) subjectification - telling one how to feel
5) demanding obedience.
It's a very intelligent song - somebody's been studying critical theories of power before they wrote it I reckon. They subscribe to some kind of post-Situationist theory of power, which is being related to war in particular, but also generally to conformity.
It's even clearer with the video as well - it's saying that actual warfare and state brutality are linked to video games and TV - there's an image flashes up which has soldiers causing an explosion then it says "1000 point bonus". Basically we come to desire power by being told who we are and taught how to feel, through means such as the media, computer games, consumerism etc. (And remember this is a band who gave themselves two Nazi-inspired names in a row, and are associated with Factory Records who are pretty explicitly post-situ).
"Heavenly person" has a double meaning - dead, or good/innocent. It has the dual overtones of, without you I'd be dead, and without you I wouldn't be guilty (of war crimes, abuse, whatever).
Power is portrayed as cold, alienating and guilt-inducing... its heart is cold, it tells us what to feel but leaves us finding it hard to say what the official script makes us say, and it stops us being "heavenly".
Post-situationist theories of power... makes me think of Guy Debord and Deleuze.
I agree about the video-games / brutality analysis. I get a similar vibe from "Everything's Gone Green" - another favorite song by this great band.
Your post is interesting.
You might like the epitaph I penned for Gilles D. at my blog: connecthook.wordpress.com/2012/11/27/deleuzional/
Post-situationist theories of power... makes me think of Guy Debord and Deleuze.
I agree about the video-games / brutality analysis. I get a similar vibe from "Everything's Gone Green" - another favorite song by this great band.
Your post is interesting.
You might like the epitaph I penned for Gilles D. at my blog: connecthook.wordpress.com/2012/11/27/deleuzional/
It's about domination/alienation, including war.
The dominant actor is doing the following: 1) interpellation - telling one who one is 2) suture - filling in blanks in meaning - when one is mistaken, they give words 3) historical continuity/project (teleology) - from past until completion 4) subjectification - telling one how to feel 5) demanding obedience.
It's a very intelligent song - somebody's been studying critical theories of power before they wrote it I reckon. They subscribe to some kind of post-Situationist theory of power, which is being related to war in particular, but also generally to conformity.
It's even clearer with the video as well - it's saying that actual warfare and state brutality are linked to video games and TV - there's an image flashes up which has soldiers causing an explosion then it says "1000 point bonus". Basically we come to desire power by being told who we are and taught how to feel, through means such as the media, computer games, consumerism etc. (And remember this is a band who gave themselves two Nazi-inspired names in a row, and are associated with Factory Records who are pretty explicitly post-situ).
"Heavenly person" has a double meaning - dead, or good/innocent. It has the dual overtones of, without you I'd be dead, and without you I wouldn't be guilty (of war crimes, abuse, whatever).
Power is portrayed as cold, alienating and guilt-inducing... its heart is cold, it tells us what to feel but leaves us finding it hard to say what the official script makes us say, and it stops us being "heavenly".
Post-situationist theories of power... makes me think of Guy Debord and Deleuze. I agree about the video-games / brutality analysis. I get a similar vibe from "Everything's Gone Green" - another favorite song by this great band. Your post is interesting. You might like the epitaph I penned for Gilles D. at my blog: connecthook.wordpress.com/2012/11/27/deleuzional/
Post-situationist theories of power... makes me think of Guy Debord and Deleuze. I agree about the video-games / brutality analysis. I get a similar vibe from "Everything's Gone Green" - another favorite song by this great band. Your post is interesting. You might like the epitaph I penned for Gilles D. at my blog: connecthook.wordpress.com/2012/11/27/deleuzional/