Horrible allegory for social isolation under late capitalism
Is "allegory" really the term I'm looking for here? I really don't know that kind of terminology half as well as I should. This is a story that, in miniature, captures an image that would fit well as an example of a larger social analysis. There's probably a more precise term for that than "allegory." I'm thinking of an anticapitalist reading of (capitalist-communitarian) Robert Putnam's Bowling Alone, which is about the impoverishment of social life in the US esp. through the draining away or nonexistence of community and civil society institutions that involve large segments of the population. I'm also thinking of course of the Frankfurt School; this is a good allegory (or "exemplar?" or "exemplary tale?" or whatever term I'm looking for) for the Culture Industry. Anyway I usually try to stay away from just reposting news items, but this one seems worth holding onto if only for myself. The link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17202448/?GT1=9033.
My immediate personal reaction: if you don't hear from me for a year, please check in on me, okay?
Quick metablog question for anyone who wants to comment: are the ads that show up on my blog annoying? Should I drop a couple of userpics and go back to the free account with no ads?
Man's body found 1 year after death
Television was still on, authorities say; body partially mummified
The Associated Press
Updated: 10:06 a.m. PT Feb 17, 2007
HAMPTON BAYS, N.Y. - The partially mummified body of a man dead for more than a year has been found in a chair in front of his television, which was still on, authorities said.
Vincenzo Ricardo, 70, apparently died of natural causes, said Dr. Stuart Dawson, Suffolk County’s deputy chief medical examiner.
Police found Ricardo’s body this week when they investigated a report of burst pipes.
The home’s dry air had preserved his features, morgue assistant Jeff Bacchus said.
“You could see his face. He still had hair on his head,” Bacchus said.
Ricardo’s wife died years ago, and he lived alone, Dawson said.
“He hasn’t been heard from in over a year. That’s the part that baffles me,” he said. “Nobody sounded the alarm.”
Neighbors said they had thought Ricardo was in a hospital or nursing home.
“We never thought to check on him,” said neighbor Diane Devon.
© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17202448/?GT1=9033
My immediate personal reaction: if you don't hear from me for a year, please check in on me, okay?
Quick metablog question for anyone who wants to comment: are the ads that show up on my blog annoying? Should I drop a couple of userpics and go back to the free account with no ads?
Man's body found 1 year after death
Television was still on, authorities say; body partially mummified
The Associated Press
Updated: 10:06 a.m. PT Feb 17, 2007
HAMPTON BAYS, N.Y. - The partially mummified body of a man dead for more than a year has been found in a chair in front of his television, which was still on, authorities said.
Vincenzo Ricardo, 70, apparently died of natural causes, said Dr. Stuart Dawson, Suffolk County’s deputy chief medical examiner.
Police found Ricardo’s body this week when they investigated a report of burst pipes.
The home’s dry air had preserved his features, morgue assistant Jeff Bacchus said.
“You could see his face. He still had hair on his head,” Bacchus said.
Ricardo’s wife died years ago, and he lived alone, Dawson said.
“He hasn’t been heard from in over a year. That’s the part that baffles me,” he said. “Nobody sounded the alarm.”
Neighbors said they had thought Ricardo was in a hospital or nursing home.
“We never thought to check on him,” said neighbor Diane Devon.
© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17202448/?GT1=9033