Jameson Post Class

Today in class we covered several terms that we read about in “Post-Modernism, or the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism”, by Frederic Jameson. Out of all of the terms that we talked about there was one in particular that interested me than the others; this term was nostalgia. According to Jameson, nostalgia is the representation of a historical past.
There are many films and some television shows that have been made in the past and/or present that represent a certain time period. These are meant to give the viewer a certain idea of what that time period was like to live in. Immediately I thought of the television show “That 70’s Show.” As stated in the title, this comedy portrayed the ways that those who were growing up in that time acted like and the things that they did.
We talked about this show in class one day as an example of representation of the old in the current day, and how its representation was a way for those of us who didn’t live in that time period to experience what it was like (according to the creators). When watching this show there are certainly situations between the group of friends and between the families that I can relate to. This is what makes the show so funny. A comedian Dane Cook said in one of his older skits that the things he says are funny because they are true. I completely agree with this. A lot of the times that I am laughing at this show it is because I can relate to what’s going on. This show holds a great nostalgia because its permission to relate to and laugh at its situations makes you feel like you could have been a part of this time period.