Introduction

Enlightenment as Mass Deception is not an easy text. It includes Freudan psychoanalysis and Marxism
among other presuppositions from Frankfurt School. Black Mirror may help to understand or at least enter
to the text. Black Mirror series, specifically 15.000.000 Merits, has powerful sequences and dialogs which
are clearly metaphors of something else. The question of this inquiry is: could a chapter of a serial be a
usefull tool to comprehend a book? Could 15.000.000 Merits help to read Enlightenment as Mass
Deception and enter to Frankfurt School world of significate?

The aim of this brief investigation is to provide a tool to comprehend Frankfurt school while connecting two
major works: M. Horkheimer and T.W. Adorno's book with Charlie Brooker's serial. A third and subordinate
aim is the attempt to find connections between Dialectic of Enlightenment and another obscure member of
Frankfurt School: Walter Benjamin. We will focus in aspects related with culture and media.

W. Benjamin uses an aphoristic style which requires great attention in order to perceive its theoretical
implications. Just when relating its books with another works its sense comes to the light. Here Benjamin
will be confronted with himself as well as with Dialectic of Enlightenment, stressing what is closely related
with culture and media.

1. Experience and Technical Reproduction

Is it the case that culture effect depends on its context? Sussan Buck-Morss asks in her work Walter
Benjamin. Revolutionary Writer 1: Is it enough to read Communist Manifest to become a commited
revolutionary? Benjamin's answer is no.. And Benjamin's answer is no. The transmission of cultural objects
is highly significant. We know it is a provocation to set up with this words, but one should not forget that
Benjamin's comprehension of culture was influenced and raised up in connection with Marxism.

''In bourgeois times, historical transmission of culture was developed as if their objects were
commodities to be sold and owned, rather than lived. Each value potencially revolutionary
remained latent. Culture seems then something cosificated. Its history would be nothing else than
the debris left by memorable moments which haven't been even close to any authentic
experience of men's consciousness, that is political experience. The purpose of materialistic
education was to bring revolutionary class the strength to bring to the light those cultural
tresures at the back of mankind (...) and have these in this way in the hands.'' 2

In order to free cultural objects vivence which is not available for the ones who relate with culture as if it
were a row of cultural commodities there is the need of a change. Benjamin develops a method divided in
two steps. ''The first step was destructive: the preservation of cultural objects in its alienation from the
historical and literary bourgeois apparatus had as a cost the sacrifice of its revolutionary value use. Equally
as political revolution needed the shatter of bourgeois state, cultural apparatus had to be destroyed.
Specifically, the bourgeois schematism of history as an end needed to be swept by the dialects. 3

''But it was cultural platform what was shattered, not the material elements. When these were
disjoined from the continuum of history, freed from the codificant structures which surrounded
them, it became necessary to recapture them in a new cognitive net before they disappeared
completely in history. That was the constructive moment of dialectics. The elements from past
cultures were rescued and redeemed, gathered into new constelations that were connected with
the present as dialectical images. It is not like the former brings light upon the present or the past,
but rather that the image (dialectical image) is that in which appear in a constellation both the

1 Susan Buck-Morss Walter Benjamin. Escritor revolucionario, Interzona Editora Buenos Aires 2005. We made the
translation from English to Spanish. English original version is not avaiable for us.
2 Op. cit. p. 17
3 Op. cit. p. 18
 former and the present.4

The issue is: ''if the base determines, in certain way, the superstructure as what could be thought and
experienced, but this determination is not a simple reflex, how then () should this determination be
characterized? As its expression. Superstructure is the expression of the base. The economical conditions
under which society exists reach expression in the superstructure; it is the same in the one who sleeps with
his stomach overly full: his stomach will find its expression in the content of what is dreamed, but not its
reflex. It is bourgeois dream, not proletariat, which the discomfort of an overly full stomach expresses". 5

2. Selection of theoretical elements from Frankfurt School

2.1 Walter Benjamin

At this point we will use three Benjamin works. Some are read and quotated explicitely, others used rather
implicitly, but the comprehension we have is in the form of a net. Mentioned works are: One-Way Street,
Work of Art on the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, A Short History of Photography and Author as a
Producer.

Each object is comprehended within a context, which is historical. Each object has a history which
determines itself. But this is not to say that much. Benjamin stresses not the object, neither the subject, but
rather perception itself. This is what allows to make observations on the change of the object, and in the
other hand, to inquiry the change of perception itself. We have seen the political considerations of
Benjamin regarding the change of the subject and its perception in the era where ''cultural objects '' are
reproduced technically. But how are this considerations reached?

Aura is one of the key concepts found in The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction 6. It is
defined as the near presence of something that is far away. ''We define the aura of the latter as the unique
phenomenon of a distance, however close it may be.'' 7. It seems a contradiction; how is it possible that
something close seems distant? Aura's purpose is to stress cultual function of objects, which is denigrated
in technical reproduciton era. Contemporary era is the era of the decay of the aura. The desire of
contemporary masses isto bring things closer, to have things easy and fast, fast food and sofa television.
At the same time the product should be new, different, attractive. However,
''The uniqueness of a work of art is inseparable from its being imbedded in the fabric of tradition.'' (TWA,
IV)

Each object might have two functions. This functions are defined as poles, albeit both of them are always
present, in more or less balance. Former and first works of art used to have a ritual function. Venus statue
used to be venerated in religious rituals during Ancient Greek Era. This function does not have its
boundaries in religion, but it is part of it. It could be called ritual function, or cultual, as Benjamin does.
Another function, opposite to the last one until the extent that it is secular, is exhibition.

The relation between an object and the subject is called perception. Inwards historical eras collective
perception is changing. The rellevant question regarding the study of history is: what are the social
transformations that lie behind those changes? In IV part of TWA Venus statue representation is used as an
example of the change of perception and the rellevance of representation upon the object or subject itself.
The case is that the same Venus statue, the same object, was seen as a cultual object by Greek society, and
malefical in Middle Age.

4 Op. cit. p. 20
5 Op. cit. p. 101
6 Walter Benjamin, The Work of Art on the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, Random House, 2005. Digital edition
from marxists.org. (original from 1936)
7 Op cit. Part III
Work of art on behalf to its exhibitive function and towards to a mass tends to universal and replaces what
is unique in itself. Aura is degenerated in contemporary era. Regarding cinema it is obvious that its funtion is
to be exhibited; its costs presuppose a product meant to be spread, and, the more the better. The danger
from the side of art is that exhibitive art is not autonomous, depends on the audience. Mass and art in
technical reproduction era are becoming closer one to each other. Art is not auratic, it is not the unique
manifestation of a fareness, there is almost any cultual function on it.

2.2 M. horkheimer, T. Adorno, ''Enlightenment as Mass Deception''

Nature is diverse and disorganised., there is no guarantee of connection or comprehension in it. Culture is
opposite to nature, it is the attempt to say something about it. The next step after trying to comprehend it
is not only to understand it, but also homogenize, neutralise and make oneself sure to be safe in it. ''Culture
now impresses the same stamp on everything. Films, radio and magazines make up a system which is
uniform as a whole and in every part. Even the aesthetic activities of political opposites are one in their
enthusiastic obedience to the rythm of the iron system.'' 8 (p. 349) Cruel system is feeded and reproduced by
itself, and its only imperative is development, progress; to be fast, to increase, to be big, and the more, the
better. Aesthethic world has felt in this logic. In its double sense; subject's perception and the autonomous
and objectified fine arts, quantitative change of massive reproduction brang qualitative consequences.

Denigrated culture is homogenizing

''The strike unity between macrocosm and microcosm presents men with a model of their culture: the false
identity of the general and the particular.'' (p. 349) This false identity is shown in publicity requirements,
which are impossible to fulfill, and, at the same time, the desire of the spectator wills fulfill them; the
constant contradiction between different impositions and nature, and between different requirements
themselves. One just needs to see how many McDonald's are situated nearby a gym.

() ''Movies and radio no longer pretend to be art. The truth that they are just business is made into an
ideology in order to justify the rubbish they deliberately produce. They call themselves industries'' 9 Culture
and industry seem to be exclusive terms, and if culture becomes industry, its status seems to be in danger,
may not be culture anymore. If the aim is delliberately just to make money, to get revenews and have
profits, this is the aim: business, and everything else falls into a second term. Products such as reality shows
defined by low quality, low production costs and high revenues may confirm this diagnosis written at 1942.

What is the need that cultural products fit? Nature is understood by cultural means. We are humans, hence
animals, nature, at some level. We try to understand nature. To surpass this limit is the puruse to make
nature obey our will; use reason to submit nature. A few producers and milions of consumers would explain
the need of reproduction techniques in cultural industries. Technical component in culture is justified by the
huge audience in contrast with only a few producers. The cricle of manipulation and retroactive need
started claiming consumer's needs and only grows the system even stronger. Capitalist acuires powe over
society through the ownership of technology.

Cultural homogenity has political consequences; both individual and collective. Exhibition pole may be seen
at this point. ''Market differentiations such as those of A and B films, or stories and magazines in different
prize ranges, depend not so much on subject matter as on classifying, organizing and labelling consumers.
Something is provided for all so that none may scape; the distinctions are emphasized and extended ()
Everybody must behave (as if spontaneously) in accordance with his previously determined and indexed
level, and choose the category of mass product turned out for this type''. 10 Collective is seen as audience,
8 T.W. Adorno, M. Horkheimer The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as mass deception The Open University Press,
London 1977, p. 349
9 bid.
10 Op. cit. p. 351
society is just interesting as a consumer's mass. One could say of himself that he is outside of this logics,
one could try to find exceptions. Maybe new technologies such as internet and smartphones has changed
the form of this diagnostic. But not the content. Massive consom of cultural comodities, by all kind of
devices, seems to reherse rather than deny, authors assert.

''The man with leisure has to accept what the culture manufacturers offer him''. 11 Culture products are
meant not make the audience active, but to forget and rest. Cultural industries build passive subjects ''As
soon as the film begins, it is quite clear how it will end, and who will be rewarded, punished, or forgotten'' 12.
The simplicity and similiarity mentioned before, presuppose that the spectator barely needs to pay
attention to what he is seen. The similarity between different products hence familiarity of the audience
makes the lack of activity even deep.''The development of the culture industry has lead to the
predominance of the effect () when the detail won its freedom, it became rebellious and, in the period
from Romanticism to Expressionism, asserted itself as free expression, as a vehicle of protest against the
organization.''13 If we accept what is being said, cultural industry is not a neutral product, but rather
something oriented to produce certain effects. What it is itself is not as imporant as the effects it produces.

Change of perception. Political consequences of technical reproduction

The issue of change of perception, treated formerly in Benjamin is present as well in Adorno and
Horkeimer's work. ''The whole world is made to pass through the filter of the culture industry () The more
intensely and flawlessly his techniques duplicate empirical objects, the easier it is today for the illusion to
prevail that the outside world is the straightforward continuation of that presented on the screen. Real life
is becoming indistinguishabled from the movies''14.

Secondly, the effects of the new techniques are imperceptible but vast: since photography, and even more
with cinema, art work or cultural products seem natural. But the image is framed and edited, deliberatelly
choosen, with certain light exposition; shutter speed, objective aperture. This is, if we come back to
Benjamin, because the more technological presence, the less seems to be present. As it is shown in Brief
History of Photography, camera does not change what reproduces, it seems to be natural, as if it were what
is seen with one's own eyes. But because of framing, editing, etc. it is obviously not the same image that is
perceived by a naked eye.

The last case we found regarding change of perception in Enlightenment as Mass Deception is again related
with passivity. ''The sound film, for suprassing the theatre of illusion, leaves no room for imagination or
reflection on the part of the audience who is unable to respond within the structure of the film, yet divide
from its precise detail without losing the thread of the history; hence the film forces its victims to equate it
directly.15 And this equation is what will be in the street, the perception of own's life, after leaving the movie
theatre.

Style is participant in homogenization. ''The art historians and guardians of culture who complain of the
extinction in the West of a basic style-determining power are wrong. The stereotyped [but only
stereotyped] appropriation of everything, even the incohate, for the purposes of mechanical reproduction
surpasses the rigor and general currency of any 'real style' () the entertainment industry determines its
own language, down to its very syntax and vocabulary, by the use of anatema'' 16 It is the building of the
sameness; same individuals and homogeneous cutural products are aquired by; 1) Assimilating cutural
products to reality, and 2) Restriction. ''Every detail is so firmly stamped with sameness that nothing can
appear which is not marked at birth, or does not meet with approval at first sight'' Albeit, Adorno and

11 Op. cit. p. 352

12 bid.
13 Op. cit. p. 353
14 bid.
15 T.W. Adorno, M. Horkheimer, The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as mass deception The Open University Press,
London, 1977. p. 353-354.
16 bid
Horkheimer's conclusion at this point is quite negative ''The style of culture industry, which no longer has to
test itself against any refractory materials is also the negation of style'' 17

The last point brings us to talk about quality. Whether we talk about art work or cultural work, the style
followed products anihilates quality. What is expressed is meant to reach anyone at any time; spectator
must not think as well as each work must be equal in style to any work details. ''In the culture industry
every element of the subjet matter has its origin in the same apparatus as that jargon whose stamp it
bears''18 Moreover, in cultural products everything is controlled, even its matter. Anything is unexpected.
The imposition erases any distinction between authentic and artifitial style. An artifitial style may bring from
outside on the refractory impulses of a form. Cultural products are made with matter which cames from the
same apparatus that will consume it; cultural commodities are meant primarily to be consumed.

Art trascends reality. Art and ideology.

What is expressed in an art work trascends reality; it does so through style, which ables to be part of a
certain universal. However it does not have to do with the harmony or unity between form and content ''it
is to be found in thouse features in which discrepancy appears: in the necessary failure of the passionate
striving for identity.''19 Art is a source of identity. We saw that it is not close to reality and ment to be far
away from it, specially with the use of technology. Hence, the same society which builds cultural style (a
negation of it) by being only consumers, takes cultural products as a source of identity. An invisible hand
may regulate (bring) the convenient identity. The point is that the agent whom authorizes culture to be
what it is is the same agent who dictates the features of culture, but he became alienated, he does not
realize this fact.

The text evolves towards a consideration between culture and ideology more general, despite of free
market, but seing what is concrete of the present time. Here a few examples: ''The ruler no longer says: You
must think as I do or die. He says: you are free not to think as I do; your life, your property, everything shall
remain yours, but from this day on you are a stranger among us. Not to conform means to be rendered
powerless''20 We described both poles; who surrenders to homogenity may have a place, and, who wants to
break with stablished rules may be either abduced or excluded. ''Today the culture industry has taken over
the civilizing inheritance of the entrepreneurial and frontier democracy -whose appreciation of intellectual
deviations was never finely attured''. 21 Culture is ideological, spreads ideas, and, if it is right to call it
Cultural Industry then the choice is maid by businessmans.

17 Op. cit. p. 356

18 bid.
19 Op. cit. p. 357
20 Op. cit. p. 359
21 Op. cit. p. 383
 3. Analysis of Black Mirror

3.1 Introduction to Black Mirror

The writer of the serial is Charlie Brooker. It was produced by Endemol and streamed in Channel 4 from
2011. It consists of three seasons. First and second season consist of three chapters each, with any
connection between them. The length is about an hour. Last chapter is a bit longer and was streamed 2014-
2015 winter.

3.2 Plot Summary

Part 1. Presentation of the world, characters and scout show. It is in this part where the most important
relations are stablished; between characters represented by Daniel Kaluuya and Isabel Laughland and then
between Daniel Kaluuya and Jessica Brown.

Part 2. The spectator goes bit mor deep into the world, it is shown that the inhabitants cannot even own a
single piece of trash. Daniel Kaluuya, who fels atracted by Jessica Brown invites her to participate in a talent
show.

Part 3. The visit to the show has an unpredicted result; Jessica brown is hired as a porn actreess.

Part 4. The main character is depressed and saves money to come back to the talent show, now wants to
participate himself.

Part 5. Daniel Kaluuya goes to the show and gives a poor demonstration. After that gives a speech trying to
awaken audience or himself. He is fastly adopted.

Black young male is lying on a bed. Spectator perceives the start, the sunraise of an artifitial world. Instead
of walls there are screens. The first thing that the carachter sees is a screen. It says what time it is and
reminds the goods in his bank account. Toothpaste is carefully used. Everything is artifitial. Even the work:
but workers have ways of alienating themselves and make an inhuman (not-human) work decent using
screens and music. Music's lyrics contrasts with enviroment. ''I have a dream...''. Closed in a huge place, but
closed, does not seem the best place to realize one's dreams.

Our characters ride a static bike during their work shifts. They wear all the same clothes and live in the same
environment. The same colours even for bed shifts. However, there are also excluded. There is fat people.
They are the ones who are not recognized as able to ride bikes and wearing different clothes are relegated
to pick trash. In their screens they publically make laugh of this lower class members. Theses excluded are
repeatedly called lazy by a character who likes to make fun of them. Maybe it is not clear what is general
identity of normality,''where they are going'', as the main character denounces in the final speech, but it is
clear what they are not. Laziness does not fit in their ideology, which is productivity and being occupied.

It is interesting the way the girl to meet the main character, so that he breaks his lonliness. This unfortunate
lady does not achieve the heart of our main character, but he attempts so while helping him. There is a little
problem with the machine where apples are sold, and Daniel Kaluuya is astonished staring the machine.
Luckily, Isabell laughland, who is found of him, saws it. She hurries to go to assist him, and shows how to
solve the problem. This is a hint first, of that not everything is calculated and ''perfect'' inside of that
artificial world; there is still place for reality and unpredictability.

It is a good sequence for another reason as well, and that is the loneliness shown by the characters. During
the whole chapter any real conversation is seen despite a few very unusual situations, in their free time
they are closed in their rooms without any contact either communication between them. It seems
important to show this fact, which is a common feature between other futuristic such as Fahrenheit 451 by
Ray Bradbury, or the well known G. Orwell's 1984. The political impact of the lack of organization between
some range of the society has an important political significance and effects. Mentioned section lengths
from 5' 51'' in the edition from our references 22, shown at the end of the work. A last point about loneliness
is how much our main character, who somehow succeeds because leaves the physical work in the bike and
gets a better job, reminds, with the selfishness of its progress, the main character from Ayn Rand's The
Fountainhead and its cinematographic adaptation23. The main character becomes a sort of weird hero while
he is fighting against everyone, absolutely selfish, to get what he wants, and he finally gets it. But the
spectator cannot avoid to mix two feelings, proud and happines but at the same time something obscure
which may have to do with lonliness of the one who suceeded.

We will stop now upon the character who likes to make fun of fat people, e.g. the sequence 6' 40'' 7' 30''.
He supports an unbearable enviroment, working without any real commitment, and likes the division
among people within his own class. It is a great example of alienation. He makes laugh of another biker, a
colleague, when when he starts to have problems to ride. It is interesting as well to see that none of the
attacked, never, show any reply to this character when in an absolutely unfair way denigrates them. They
support and feed that social structure (indifference is easier than confronting the conflict), even when it is
absolutely unfair and hurts directly themselves.

After work the only way to survive is to consum commodities, in this case games. What to do in a cage
surrounded by screens? 7' 30'' 7' 45''

He as to pay if he wants to skip surrounding advertisement. He can not even close his eyes, if he does so an
anoying sound I played together with the message ''Resume viewing'' repeated again and again. Even sexual
content is displayed. The advertisement gives instructions to the audience as well; ''You are going to see it
all. What are you going to do with your hand?''. And our character is still alone.

From 12' 25'' we see a young lady who achieved to be famous through a talent scout show. This could be
used to see a near explicit parallelism between Adorno and Horkheimer's work and Black Mirror 15.000.000
opportunities. ''Those discovered by talent scouts and then bulicized on a vast scale by the studio are ideal
types of the new dependent average. Of course, the starlet is meant to symbolize the typist in such a way
that the splendid evening dress seems meant for the actress as distinct from the real girl. The girls in the
audience not only feel that could be on the scree, but realize the big gulf separating them from it.'' 24 This
fragment contents exactly the same content than what is said by the recruited talent appeared in 7' 45''.
This coincidence is the last we want to comment.

?5. Conclusion?

Aesthetical rather than theoretical coincidence. Ideological affinity but . It is interesing to see as well how
the extension of T. Adorno and M. Horkheimer's book, published on 1942 is extensible to a futuristic world.

It is interesing to see as well how the extension of T. Adorno and M. Horkheimer's book, published on
1942 is extensible to a futuristic world. There is affinity between the ideological aspect of both works,
and both of them analyse the political effect of cultural objects, in opposition to nature. This includes
art, and the way it is related with technology. To sum up, Fifteen Milion Merits and Enlightenment as
Mass Deception are build in the same world of significate, and it would be convenient to use them
together. However, they treat their topics in very different ways, the one philosophical, and the former
artistical.

22 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tMXKQdc5ZM&oref=https%3A%2F%2F
23 King Vidor, The Fountainhead, 1949
24 Op. cit. p. 367
 6. Refferences

FALTEN LES EDICIONS

T. Adorno and M. Horkheimer, Dialektik der Aufklrung
English Edition
Spanish Edition
T. Adorno, Minima Moralia
M. McLuhan, Gutenberg Galaxy
W. Benjamin, One-Way Street
W. Benjamin, Work of Art on the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
W. Benjamin, A Short History of Photography
W. Benjamin, Author as a Producer

Chapter visionate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tMXKQdc5ZM&oref=https%3A%2F%2F

Visited 11.5.16
HBO, CHANNEL 4 WEBISTE

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2089049/fullcredits/

http://www.filmaffinity.com/es/film421254.html