Narcissism as Liberation and Deep Play: Notes on a Balinese Cockfight

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Comparing Susan Douglas' Narcissism as Liberation and Clifford Greetz's Deep Play: Notes on a Balinese Cockfight

The method used by Susan Douglas in her essay “Narcissism as Liberation” to describe the way a particular event to practice might have a deeper meaning seems to differ somewhat with that used by Clifford Greetz in “Deep Play: Notes on a Balinese Cockfight”. In the former, the author concentrates on the method which would be best described as “direct approach”. In her explanations of the themes behind different advertising practices and their implied meanings she makes it sound as though the ones responsible for the advertisements infuse these subliminal messages on purpose into the context. She describes the play on women’s feelings to cow them into thinking that they are never the ideal and should always be working to perfect their bodies (using the advertiser’s products) is an intentional subliminal message that is infused into every commercial advertisement is done because that method seems to be effective. She stresses that the media and corporations have shaped...

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