Adorno is someone who I've never really been able to understand. I've been asked to read his work for a few classes and each time I sit in front of my book confused. His work is so dense and heavy that even after a few readings I still have trouble understanding and explaining what it is he is trying to say . So I'm going to try my best and engage with this reading as well as I can , at least i can say that I tried

The ideas that to me are the most prominant in this articles are mass deception and social control. As a society on the most part we are taught to think rationally and reasonably. This way of thinking plays into the hands of mass media and leads to a society in which there is no individualism. We are meant to play our roles knowing that someday we will receive a reward in return. We are taught to follow social norms and therefore play our part in a social hierarchy. If we are a good citizen we will get a reward. If we work hard we will get a raise. If we follow the rules and don't cause trouble there will be a payoff at the end. This leads to little chances for social change.

We are convinced that we must buy into this system to fit in and than that the system is what we asked for in the first place. Now this is all understandable to me because of the situation that Adorno was in. Living in Nazi Germany it must have seemed like everybody was buying into the Nazi's platform. People turned neighbors and friends that had known for years into the Gestapo because it was what the masses were doing at the time.

I don't know how well these ideas translate into today. Although on the surface it may seem like a lot of people are still following the crowd and doing what society tells them to there is a lot more leeway these days in which to move. The internet has allowed people to explore new ideas and options. If say I don't like the clothing that is offered at the mall because it's all too trendy and I feel everyone will be wearing the same thing I can log on to the internet and find something original that fits with the person I want to be and have it shipped to me. I can also create my own media with youtube, blogger and even facebook which allows me to spread my own ideals and find others who agree with them.

At the same time we are also more free to stand up against popular ideologies. Look at the war on Iraq for example, people feel free to show their disgust with the war in public places. Even if there are still people living in the states who believe that it's the right war because the government says so, I still don't feel that people feel unsafe showing their opposition.

Protesters at Nathan Phillips Square