Dual Social Theory at Play in the Casino: Black or Red

Abstract

In this essay I posit that postmodernism and modernism coexist simultaneously in society. While this is hypothesis may be, to some extent, unconventional, it is supported by substantive evidence: the real world. I contend that practical human experiences exhibit aspects of both modernism and postmodernism. It is the interaction between the two that ultimately determines the direction and form that experience takes in the wider social setting. The following discussion uses The Star Casino in Sydney to exemplify this process. I demonstrate that the Casino is a simultaneous manifestation of capitalism, a product of modernity, as well as of commodity consumption and hyper reality, conditions borne from postmodernism. The convergence of both social concepts in the context of the casino, and across wider aspects of the human experience, provides insight into the theoretical framework that supports the present moment we live in.