At your behest, I watched up to Chapter 15 or so and was mesmerised by it - but ultimately couldn't figure out how it differed from your average Youtube clip. I get the whole 'post-ironic' thing, the almost impossible blend of comedy and sincerity, but beyond that, I'm lost as to your rapturous praise.<br /><br /> <br /><br /> Enlighten me. No, seriously - I'm not being a jackass. I think you have something to say about this and I don't think I've read enough Zizek to say anything smart about it. What are the chances for one of your rare-but-great longer postings?
posted by Nav at 2007-08-25 14:58:30 
Okay.<br /><br /> <br /><br /> 1) My above post makes no sense. I am simultaneously trying to say that 'everything is text' and therefore 'Trapped...' is 'art', while maintaining the high art/low art distinction. That was dumb.<br /><br /> <br /><br /> 2) But - you're going to think I'm insane for saying this - the corollary to 'Trapped' is... WB's Girlfriends. Yeah: Girlfriends.<br /><br /> <br /><br /> Why? It contains the same weird mix of comedy and sincerity - i.e. a laughtrack joke in the middle of a discussion of abortion or rape. And it does exactly what 'Trapped' does - constantly and simultaneously staying on the edge of verisimilitude, camp, irony and comedy, but never committing to any of them. <br /><br /> <br /><br /> So, to get all academic, as art/media recognise the impossibility of ever arriving at 'an end' in all attempts at *either* representation or critique, the phase of the post-ironic is the refusal to do anything but acknowledge its own failure as-representation/critique. <br /><br /> <br /><br /> 3. I am starting to believe that you just might be a genius.
posted by Nav at 2007-08-27 22:48:28
Prediction: within five years, there will be an academic book out that has various scholars offering wordy essays on <em>Trapped in the Closet</em>.
posted by Rex at 2007-08-28 02:29:05
