How “desensitization” reduce the viewer to a passive “spectator”

  For Maggie Nelson, the “image” does not always enable the viewer to realize the “truth” of a reality that has been veiled, but rather results in the “begrudging (and for some, and enthusiastic) acceptance of the practice” of the abuses of institutional power, as her example of torture and the programming of cultural sadism reveals. As a result, the “spectator” (reader) becomes “desensitized” to the overflow of “acceptable” violence (both physical and ideological), which induces passivity and the collective disengagement with social action until the moment of “disorientation” arrives. For Treuer, the legacies of colonial violence, cultural erasure, and environmental degradation are fortified by the manufactured indifference to the plight of the American Indian, resulting in deepening forms of social and economic marginalization. For your 3rd essay, focus on the politics of “desensitization” and how it operates to legitimize ideologies of power. Use Nelson to frame your argument and as the basis for reading how the poles of “desensitization” and “disorientation” figure in Treuer’s assessment of cultural erasure, struggle, and “digital” restoration.   Thinking Questions: - How do you understand Nelson’s analysis of the “image” as a form of orchestrated violence? Where might Nelson’s assessment overlap with Treuer’s emphasis on the “convenient myth” that underlies the history of ideological and physical subjugation of the American Indian? - How does “desensitization” reduce the viewer to a passive “spectator” of organized violence in contemporary society? How does this process legitimate hierarchies of power (in terms of race, class, gender, etc.)? - How might Nelson’s reference to “disorientation” be used to reverse the pathology of inaction she describes? What relevance does it have to Treuer’s analysis of the struggle against the “slow violence” of environmental catastrophe at Standing Rock and the overall process of indigenous collectivity and cultural renewal? Required formatting: Double-spaced, 1-inch margins, 12-pt. font (Times New Roman), MLA format (Your headers, page numbers, and quotations should be formatted properly. Any quotes used in the essay cannot exceed 3 lines.   Recommened Paragraph Structure: (This is the paragraph structure which we were recommended to use) - Make a topic sentence - Explain its relevance to your subject - Find short quote to support your claim - Explicate and interpret quote (explicate its importance to your project focus)