Debord theorized spectacle as commodity fetishism’s absolute fulfillment

Evidence

Parodying the opening sentence of Capital, Debord announced: ‘The entire life of societies in which modern conditions of production reign announces itself as an immense accumulation of spectacles’ The spectacle, ‘in all its specific forms, as information or propaganda, advertisement or direct con­ sumption of entertainments’, must be seen as ‘a social relation among people mediated by images’. As such, ‘the society of the spectacle’ is the ‘absolute fulfilment’ of ‘the principle of commodity fetishism’. — Alex Callinicos, Against Postmodernism, 549

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines the Situationist concept of the spectacle as a social relation mediated by images, directly extending Marx’s commodity fetishism.
• XREF: Baudrillard’s rejection of the spectacle concept connects to his simulation theory, which this book’s critique of postmodernism engages directly. — connects to: The image of uninhibited vitality itself recycles commodity fetishism; Commodity fetishism presents social labour relations as properties of things — Dirk Braunstein, Adorno’s Critique of Political Economy, 410; Debord defines the spectacle as a social relation, not a mere collection of images — Aris Komporozos-Athanasiou, Speculative Communities: Living with…, 300 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• The image of uninhibited vitality itself recycles commodity fetishism #expands (0.85)
• Debord defines the spectacle as a social relation, not a mere collection of images #expands (0.85) — Aris Komporozos-Athanasiou, Speculative Communities, 300
• Commodity fetishism presents social labour relations as properties of things #expands (0.80) — Dirk Braunstein, Adorno’s Critique of Political Economy, 410