The Bureaucracy Of The X Factor And The Commodification Of Art As A Parallel Of The Film Poltergeist

First things first, I know very little about "The X Factor" other than that of the scraps of conversations people have had about it and the vague glimpses I've seen whilst passing the odd television surrounded by the vacant cadavers it sucks in, rather like that seen in the cult 80's film Poltergeist, but with the audience being the unwitting Carol Anne and the judges being the relentless skeletal demon who will do anything to keep Carol Anne. What I have learned is that The X Factor is an immediately obvious marketing tool for the commodification of so called "music" which takes particular monopolistic advantage of the much coveted "Christmas number one" spot annually.



The X Factor places particular importance on the superficial, the spectacle, the talentless and all whilst maintaining a prominent and contemptuous stance toward the intellect of its own audience. When returning back to Poltergeist, one could consider the depthless content of the X Factor a direct analogue for the TV set that's turned on but has no signal in Poltergeist, yet it still manages to draw Carol Anne in. One may argue that it is merely entertainment and my points may seem venomous and far reaching, but it has to be said that in some circles, looking at shiny things is also considered a form of entertainment.

What I ask is how more base and attenuated can "music" and on a wider scale "entertainment" become and still be considered a viable and exploitable commodity before people begin to realise that how bad things are in fact getting? or, perhaps I don't really want the answer to such a question as the answer may be more demoralising than the fact that such a question needed to be asked in the first place. My hope is that we all don't get sucked into the television and end up in an extra-dimensional realm of sub-par entertainment for all eternity.



Unfortunately I know the aforementioned X Factor based information and more from the blanket media coverage that there were 3 main puppets in the final and 3 main puppeteers that have been consistently involved in this format of televisual/musical dross for a number of years. I had thought that with the up surge of the internet and the increase in an individuals exposure to his/her own user defined content would spell the end to this marvelous vagary of masked entertainment under an alternate guise. However this is not the case. In terms of Poltergeist, the internet and user defined content would be represented by squeaky voiced spiritual medium Tangina Barrons, who assists in saving Carol Anne (the audience) from the demon (the judges). Within the realms of Poltergeist though, Carol Anne is ultimately saved from a degrading life of subservience to a demon. -Reality is much different.

Alas, I am wrong. The X Factor's popularity seems stronger than ever despite a multitude of alternatives that are immediately available. Perhaps all hope is lost. Perhaps we should all just go into the light. Personally though, I think I'll be alright with the telly off.