Wilhelm Reich's impact during the 60's and seventies on American culture

Unintentionally disturbing, some of the clinics patients enactments of their inner self's natural and baser instincts was rather comical, as they resembled that of a child playing monsters. The idea that by transforming yourself could result in a change in society and politics, is a plausible concept, because if you change yourself to become a more caring or less materialistic person, in order to better yourself, your political views may change from capitalist (materialistic and consumer driven) to communist as you have abandoned your old, more selfish character that embraced capitalism into someone who embraces equality. Now if this happened on a colossal scale it could lead to a dramatic change in society. However the idea that you can change or better yourself, by indulging in your less than respectable characteristics seems ludicrous to me, I prefer the German philosophical movement epistemology, which emphasizes that one must use experience to gain a sense of who they are, this it can be argued is a more positive method.
Another idea the documentary explored that I thought was a good plan, was the controlled confrontational group sessions between racist people, as this gives people the chance to voice their opinions, expel any negativity and resolve their problems. The fact that these sessions proved unsuccessful shocked me, because it gives people a chance to work through their differences in a safe environment, but I guess it didn't offer a method to undo prejudice. Perhaps I underestimated the power of hate?

Wilhelm Reich

How refreshing. After a semester in which Freud's theories dominated the course it was a welcoming change to learn the views of Wilhelm Reich, which countered those of Freud's. However the idea that the orgasm is the universal principle, which explains everything, is a view I strongly disagree with, I agree that the orgasm does propel most people's behaviour, but not everything can be reduced to this simple formula, for example how can you explain or reduce the September the eleventh terrorist attacks to this principle. It is my view that people are more complex than the way we are portrayed by Reich, with conflicting issues and uncertainty driving our actions rather than just desire, this gives a very primitive impression. In addition I found the debate about whether we should release our repression and unconscious, causing a division within my own mind, as both arguments are valid. I agree with the fact that we should rid ourselves of any inner turmoil as it regulates our well being, however, Freud's theory of the dangers of acting on our unconscious I agree with too, because if people acted on every impulse it could lead to random and constant acts of selfishness, which cannot be the dominant factor within a society, which is dependent on charity and compliance.
Finally the pairing of repression with a brief mention of dictatorship was a logical compliment to the topic, because it is the device used to establish control, and if you consider it the Nazis even used sexuality and child birth to create fear and control families, for instance the Nuremberg laws dictated who it was appropriate to marry and have relations with.

The Ascent by Larisa Shepitko

Once again due to the delights of food poisoning I missed the lecture and the screening, now trying to watch The Ascent online with subtitles was proving difficult, so my own observations of the film based on what I have read will have to suffice. The obvious connection I spotted was the biblical parallel which is shown when Rybak betrays Sotnikov and then tries to hang himself, because of the overwhelming guilt he feels at betraying his comrade, this to me mirrors the story of the last supper in The Gospel of Matthew, in which Jesus is betrayed by Judas of Iscariot who then commits suicide by hanging himself. This I thought was done to show the frailty of comradeship and loyalty, and the natural human instinct to do whatever is necessary to save ones self, this also reminded me of the issues brought up in Space Odyssey, which also looks at the things (war and violence) we resort to in order to preserve our own existence. I also thought the theme of betrayal, which I liked, was very unique in a World War two set film, as most portray an image of unfaltering loyalty between comrades.
A differing view on the biblical reference made in the film is that of Dave Kehr who states that it works on many deeper levels, but there is the presence of a redemption through suffering theme. This I do agree with, but because of the betrayal of a comrade is so out of place in a film like this I believe that this is the dominant reference, because it is almost like Shepitko wants it to deliberately stand out.

Counter culture and exsistentialism

Due to my erratic health I was unable to attend this lecture, however I will attempt to discuss the topic of the lecture to the best of my ability. First of all the subject of counter culture I found to be an easily understandable concept as there are examples of it in our own culture, for example the racial gangs in particular in London that fight for territory and hierarchy in terms of organised crime, this represents youth culture that goes against the established order of the labour party and shows more of liberal individualism.
I thought linking this concept to the sixties was a good example of this, as every aspect of the sixties represented this, for instance the anti Vietnam war protests went against America's capitalist image, as the protests in a way encouraged Communism and its right to be established, so that peace may be maintained. Finally the frequent drug use and hippy movement went against the American cultural ideal of the 'American Dream', as it encouraged people to be unproductive and lazy, stopping them from achieving great things with hard work and ambition.

Existentialism works with counter culture as it encourages people to follow their own path and break the established culture if necessary. I am not sure whether this was touched on, but does the philosophy also acknowledge the repercussions of people doing whatever they want to? As it seems to me that counter culture and existentialism could be quite destructive, by encouraging people to act selfishly and not consider others could lead to break downs in society, the home, workplace etc. Therefore although this is a rather pleasant philosophy on a selfish scale it cannot work on a wide scale level, as it works against the needs of the majority.