It's that old saying but one that might cut in two directions. Yes, "we" can't have nice things because "you" are always ruining them with your irresponsible behavior, lack of class, etc. But possibly we also can't have nice things because we're always getting crap shoved in front of us. Or both. Facebook is case in point. Sure it's a cesspool because of the way people behave, but it's also crap in and of itself. [ 1,134 more word ]
http://profalexreid.com/…/…/04/why-we-cant-have-nice-things/

In the briefest terms, my idea here is conceiving of a materials rhetoric that is roughly analogous to materials science. I'll return to that in a moment but first a few detours. Since the 80s at least, rhetoric as concerned itself with "materialism" and far more recently with "new materialism." Materialism has generally been another way of naming various Marxian critical traditions, including Foucaultian and cultural studies theories. [ 839 more words ]
http://profalexreid.com/…/informally-proposing-a-materials…/