Month: January 2017

While watching the movie of the World’s Fair, I couldn’t stop myself from comparing the developments achieved to the theme explored by Anson Rabinbach in The Human Motor, where he views the human as a machine. It was surprising to see how these people could succeed in building such environment in such little time and how they were able to come up with innovations on the spot that would allow them to progress very rapidly with the project. Anson discusses how the worker or the “machine” desires to achieve infinite productivity because of the notion of wanting to progress and be the very best. In the movie, this could be seen when the workers worked from day to night in the construction of the fair. All the innovations and technology showcased were the product of the constant work put into such project and the desire to out-compete other nations. Even in today’s world, this notion of having to be in constant motion, achieving this “infinite productivity” keeps on revolutionizing the workforce. This is seen in the group of people that have characterized their work as a major priority in their lives,  those who “stay late and come in early” to the office, those who can’t go on a family vacation without taking their computers or checking their emails because “you never know if there’s an emergency” and even those who believe that work is the key to success. I tend to disagree because if the work someone’s doing is not goal oriented, then how could that measure success? Today’s society is constantly working because of the profit they will receive in return, not particularly for the skills they acquire along the way. Anson refers to energy as a transcendental principle where it becomes the groundwork of an individual’s thoughts and actions. If you think about it, it seems like these people not desiring to be more proficient within their work field but rather are doing it for the money are just wasting their energy instead of taking advantage of it because at the end of the day these profits are just temporary. Its interesting to thinking on how society’s perspective about work has changed throughout time. Even in A Connecticut’s Yankee we see how at the beginning of the book Hank is judgmental about the laborers for being “foolish” people since they weren’t gaining any profit from their work. He also mentions that because of the power his knowledge granted him, he could govern the city and become the wealthiest man. His approach toward this uncivilized society then changes when he realizes that the skills he teaches the people is what would allow the city to develop and be successful, not necessarily the monetary profit he would gain from it. I believe people should stray away from the notion of using work just for monetary benefits and start seeing it as an arena where they could further expand their knowledge because knowledge, in turn, will govern the way social development is achieved in the next generations.

In the Documentary, ” The White City”, I was intrigued with the size and depth of information and exhibits that the World Fair held. However, not only was I struck with amazement of the amount of innovative exhibits they portrayed, but also the innovation that went into creating the fair.

Countries, states, and companies all show-cased the most impressive innovations that they had. In an effort to show who was the most powerful, both militarily and industrial, leading up to the fair innovation was at the forefront of importance.  States produced as much as whatever their agricultural prowess allowed them to, Krupp, a German company, created the largest artillery weapon of all time. It was capable of launching a 1 ton piece of artillery over 15 miles. The United States alternatively produced a similar artillery weapon that could launch artillery over 13 miles. The fair became, essentially, a contest on who could outdo each other and prove they were the best.

Building the White City was a feat in itself and required innovation in order for it to be completed in the short timespan . Among the innovations was the creation of spray paint, to more effectively paint the vast structures and buildings. Other innovations were the plaster substitute which looked like marble, but is actually a much cheaper alternative, and the method of pile driving the buildings on poles into the swamp for support.

The fair provided vast improvements for the 20th century, not only through its exhibits, but also its construction. This spur in innovation helped propel industry and adversely could have caused possible friction through arms races that possibly could have caused World War 1.

The film we watched in class about the World’s Fair, which took place in 1893, was very interesting to me. The fair was held in Chicago. At the time, Chicago was known as the “white city” because of the white stucco which covered most of the buildings within the city.  The exposition was built to celebrate Columbus’s finding of America. It costed an approximate 22 million to build and operated for a total of 6 months. Twenty million people visited the fair throughout the 6 months. The fair actually was the biggest melting pot of ethnicities until the 20th century immigration to America. Countries across the globe displayed their culture through food, entertainment and technological advancements. One of the biggest displays at the fair was military technological advancements. The most powerful countries at the fair such as Germany, Britain and France demonstrated their most powerful weapons. It seems to me that this was the beginning of the arms race. Society at the time believed technological advancements only had benefits. Because of this, everyone present at the event thought military advancements would bring peace. However, twenty years after the fair, World War I took place and the technological advancements shown at the fair were put into action. Those weapons killed millions and created a huge force of destruction across the globe. In the novel, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, by Mark Twain, Hank Morgan, who is a manager at a munitions factory, took 19th century technology to areas that didn’t have access to that technology yet. Although it provided advancements, the technology used only caused carnage. Two more aspects that were present at the World’s Fair were work and leisure. At the time, laborers worked long hours with little pay and no rest. Leisure was considered a sin. However, over time, laborers became tired of the low wages and tedious work they were forced into so they formed labor unions. These labor unions were developed to bring workers together and strike against the boss if things became unfair. Right around the World’s Fair, labor strikes took place in Chicago. The Haymarket riot was the most famous strike that occurred. Chicago’s Haymarket Square turned into a riot after someone threw a bomb at police. At least eight people died as a result of the violence that day. Although demonstrations like this took place, society as a whole focused mainly on achievement. The concept of achievement was put into action while building the Fair. The Fair was built in record time by hundreds of laborers who held different skills. The labor power was also at an all time high for this event. Chicago’s World’s Fair started the century of progress in America.

After watching the film on the 1983 Chicago World’s Fair and discussing both readings, the main ideas focus on the display of energy and power in developing societies. At the World’s fair, the displays of both Germany and the United States were teeming with military weapons and technology, hoping to demonstrate the power and prowess of each nation. As a result, most other nations, in addition to the United States and Germany, began a race to become more innovation and advanced in military technology and warfare, possibly initiating World War I far earlier than necessary. While proving to be deadly in the war, these military advancements and weapons were initially developed because “peace is kept by being prepared for war,” according to one general. This display of power by several nations at the fair serves to show the dominance and superiority that these nations are capable of. In addition to the Chicago World’s Fair, Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court portrays the use of energy and power for personal gain. With the development of technology and the improved harnessing of energy, Hank Morgan was able to develop hospitals, schools, and newspapers to improve the lives of the 6th century citizens. However, Morgan also used his superior sophistication and technological expertise to fool and gain the utmost respect from King Arthur’s court. Hank proves Merlin to be a fraud while using modern technology to fix the fountain, use guns and explosives to both harm fellow knights and for dramatic effect, and claims future inventions as his own to seem almost God-like amongst Arthur’s court. While this new harnessed energy and power led to healthier, more efficient lifestyles for the citizens of Camelot, Hank also utilized it for personal gain and greed to rise to power in the Court, viewed as almost equals to King Arthur. This display of power promotes fear and admiration to allow for the few to rise to power and control the masses. Finally, when discussing The Human Machine, the trade-off between work and leisure became a major issue in society. When looking at humans as a energy system, fatigue begins to set in after a certain amount of time, requiring rest to regain and resupply the energy. As technology began to develop, human labor became obsolete compared to the ability of machines to produce and manufacture goods. The ideal worker would never get tired, yet humans suffer from fatigue while machines can constantly conserve energy to function constantly. This harnessing of energy allowed for more leisure in everyday life and brought new goods to make life more efficient; however, on the downside, the industrial revolution and the development of new technologies paved the way for advanced warfare and dangerous technology.

Another topic of interest is the disparity of cultural and social norms amongst members of different societies or cultures. At the Chicago World’s Fair, the exotic, belly dancers covered in little clothing at the Cairo bizarre was a sight to see for the American public. Social norms in the United States at the time viewed sex as taboo. While the men were enthused by this exotic culture, the females looked upon the dancers with shame and judgment. The culture and history of Egypt stems from these roots, yet the Americans weren’t socially and sexually advanced enough to look upon the exhibit with favor. The lack of acceptance and understanding of other cultures leads to segregation and social hierarchy at the fair, marked by each nation trying to out-do one another. Similarly, in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, the disparity in social norms and practices between the 6th century and the 18th century becomes clearly evident. Hank looks down upon King Arthur’s court with shame, frustrated by their lack of hygiene and sophistication and baffled by the incompetence of the court. Morgan disregards the knights’ stories of glory and honor as false, and while he respects and likes King Arthur, he still views him as less-educated and somewhat irrational. In contrast, the members of King Arthur’s court view Hank as a God-like figure, marveled by his “magic” and his vast contributions to society. The citizens view him as infallible and treat him with the utmost respect and admiration. This disparity and cultures and social sophistication allows for Hank to basically usurp power from King Arthur and hold one of the highest positions in Camelot, a common problem when one culture views themselves as superior to one another (slavery and colonization).

Evolution is often wrongly defined as progress within a population over time. The key problem here is the word progress– evolution is a directionless process that is simply change over time. But due to common human infatuation with progression, it’s easy for people to hope that the natural selection process deciding our populations’ future is pushing us forward as well. If we’re going to be moving in any sort of direction, it better be forward. Otherwise, we’ll just be wasting energy.
In The Human Motor, energy is conveyed as a currency. Since it is the means by which work can be done, to maximize work profits energy must be utilized to the fullest. Therefore, there should be no wasted motions and no backward steps. And as Rabinbach continues to portray humans as motors, it is clear that we are a flawed machine. Like all things in our natural world, the human body follows the principles of thermodynamics– for energy to be exerted, it must at some point be imported. You can’t get something from nothing, the same way that the human body can only work on the terms that it is “fueled” by sleep and food. Humans are not perfect, tireless work machines, but strive for efficiency anyway as a strong work ethic is presently a respected and admired trait.
Hard work has not always been as highly valued as it is today, as in the past it has been negatively linked to working out of financial necessity, and idleness was admired due to its link to high-class privilege. Now, it is considered a “disease of will”, as compared to fatigue which is viewed more positively as an indicator of hard work (Rabinbach 23).
Looking into A Connecticut Yankee, this malappraisal of idleness therefore explains why Hank is so taken aback and concerned to see so much laziness within the world of King Arthur’s Court. Unable to explain the lazy people’s lack of motivation to work, Hank can only resort to deeming them insane and potential inhabitants of an asylum, as a product of their “disease of will”. These people do not value the energy they hold, and live in a directionless, progress-less community that Hank could only view with disapproval and with hopes to steer it in a forward direction.
As addressed by the The Chicago World’s Fair documentary, sometimes progress can inadvertently lead to retrogression. Specifically looking at the war technologies displayed so proudly by each nation, it was terrifying to know that the German cannons the guest gawked at would be ones utilized just two decades later to attack most of Europe. The celebration of progress soon turned into a period of fear and war, only highlighting the terrible progressions humans are capable of.