Jon Rappoport August 1 2013
Let’s start here. A museum. A show of photographs of celebrities. If you didn’t know who they were, if you hadn’t been “prepped,” most of the photos would barely register. You’d yawn and walk past them.
But because you have separate knowledge, the photos mean something. They refer to a whole host of material and background on famous people.
“Oh. That’s Jay Leno eating ice cream.”
Again, subtract that material and background and the photos are meaningless.
“That’s some guy eating ice cream. So what?”
The photos are symbols, in the sense that they refer, they point to something that isn’t there.
The photos have power because YOU make the jump from symbol to meaning. You’re doing it.
“Oh, look at that photo. That’s Jay. Tonight Show. Tells jokes. He and Letterman compete for ratings. Jay replaced Johnny Carson.”
Then there are your opinions and feelings. More background.
“Jay’s not that funny. They should have stayed with Conan. Television, what a waste of time. A distraction for the masses.”
You make the simple jump from an image to what it means.