Fetishism

Fetishism: Then and Now The term "fetishism" was first used in the 1800s but there were other names for different types of fetishes before this time. The word fetish came from the Portuguese word 'feitico', which means 'obsessive fascination' (Psychology Today, 2017 ). There are three basic types of fetishes. A fetish of an inanimate object, any part of the human body, and something odd like leather or feathers. With regards to specific fetishes such as that the fetishist usually needs to look at, touch, or smell during or preparing for the sexual act. In some cases just the sight of the fetish could result in an orgasm. Fetishes become a problem when there is an inability to function in daily life (Goldenson, 1970). When there is…

Following the Marxist theory of commodity fetishism, I suggest that these discourses of oil create the illusion that the social value of oil is the product itself (objective), which ignores the human processes (subjective) that shape the capitalistic machine. According to Marx, commodities are the products and services of human labor that organize the productive system of a society. While fetishism “is the representational complex through which objects appear as the source of the powers which…

Midterm: Part One Karl Marx is known for his work on commodity fetishism. A commodity is an object considered to be merchandise or a possession. Marx referred to a commodity as having its’ exchange value determined by how much labor and time was put into producing that certain object or desired item. The fetishism part of a commodity is defined as the habitual act of characterizing commodities with possessing qualities that are human-like or larger than life. Marx sees commodity fetishism as…

the word “commodity” is basically a commercial image representing a product and/or an individual, who also personifies and symbolizes an occupation or an item, (such as food or a movie), to the community. My interpretation of the meaning of “commodity fetishism,” would be defined as the logo or image that the general public mentally combines to symbolize a product or commodity because it is mentally linked to a famous person or symbol with common products or creations. Thus, this links the…

Thinking of painting your bedroom? What color are you considering? You may want to take a minute and think about your color choices and what they can do for you. Color can make an impact on you whether you know it or not and depending on how much time you spend in your bedroom, your color choices can affect you in a positive or negative way, all day, or all night long. If your bedroom is your sanctuary, the place you go into to get away from it all, then you may want to consider the color…

That key aspect is the norm which “is something that can be applied to both a body one wishes to discipline and a population one wishes to regularize” (Foucault 252-53). In a population, there are always norms, traditions, and customs. If one were to act outside of these norms, one might face a degree of estrangement or alienation. As humans, we are social creatures so individuals and populations will adhere to norms in order to fit in with the rest, thus these norms essentially hold power over…

to highlighting the functions of commodity fetishism is fundamental to his account of the alienation of the proletariat and his broader critique of capitalist societies. Both Marx and Taussig’s work provides evidence of the damaging effects of commodity fetishism and capitalist markets on the working class, providing us an important lens to understand the modern developments and functions of capitalism. Commodity fetishism is one of the fundamental ways that capitalism is naturalised into our…

The sign I chose was plastered on the side of a bus and read “UPGRADE YOUR LIFE!” from the company Tamarack Homes. In this sign, the advertisement is trying to convince consumers to build their own homes or buy a brand new home built by their company. The reason I chose to write about this sign is because it reminded me of Karl Marx and his theory of capitalism, or to be more specific, commodity fetishism. Although society today is past the times of the industrial revolution, capitalism is still…

Imagine that you are a heterosexual male living alone. You start heading to the bedroom and open the drawers. Inside those drawers you pull out a bra, some make-up, a thong, and other stuff that female wears. As you put those garments on, you feel very sexual and a good feeling comes over you. You turn around, fall on the bed, and proceed to masturbate which then ends into a wonderful orgasm...all while wearing female clothes. But, here’s the catch, you enjoy doing this every single day! …

Forster and Le Guin, in their short stories “The Machine Stops” and “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” respectively make many assumptions about human nature in regards to what people seek and value most. Both texts, set in Dystopian and Utopian futures, present the Marxist ideas of commodity fetishism, alienation and modernity as it relates to the human need for happiness, security and spirituality and/or religiosity. The futuristic worlds that both authors set up in their short stories deal…