Monsters & Markets in Vegas

Label the supply and demand curve

a

b

c

d

demand curve

Quantity

supply curve

Price

What is an "economy"?

Answer explanation

According to Encyclopedia Britannica: Economy - (a) the process or system by which goods and services are produced, sold, and bought in a country or region. (b) something that makes it possible for you to spend less money. (c) careful use of money, resources, etc.

Etymology: from Greek oikonomia "household management, thrift," from oikonomos "manager, steward," from oikos "house, abode, dwelling" (cognate with Latin vicus "district," vicinus "near;" Old English wic "dwelling, village," from PIE root weik- (1) "clan") + nomos "managing," from nemein "manage" (from PIE root nem- "assign, allot; take").

What does "commodification of the body" mean? What are some examples?

Answer explanation

"Historically, the body frequently emerges as a site of production, where living persons may be valued solely for their labor power. The associated traffic in human beings has many antecedents, characterized by a wide range of rights and obligations." (The Commodification of the Body and its parts by Lesley A Sharp)

Ex: Slavery, domestic labour, child labour, etc.

Objectification allows for commodification of the body

What are things that are sold in the Body Economy?

• Blood

• Gametes

• Human Milk

• Manicures

• organs

What is the largest gambling city -by revenue?

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Answer explanation

In 2016, the estimated annual gambling revenue for Macau, China, was $27.8 billion. Compared to the gambling mecca of the USA, Macau's gambling industry is 330% larger than Las Vegas, USA.

Put these gambling cities in order via revenue (lowest revenue to the left and highest to the right)

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Commodifying escapism: Vegas, Disneyland, Escape rooms, Meow Wolf -these are all examples of places where people pay to escape reality. In your opinion, why is there a market for this? What does it say about "us" that we are willing to pay to escape our everyday life? What are some other examples of commodifying escapism that you can think of?

If we use monsters as a lens through which we process the real world, and the burlesque is a satire or caricature of the real world, what does this double layered representation of the monstrous express about our culture, society, and patterns of consumption?