Dorm Room Confessions: Postmodernism at its Best

Though “Dorm Room Confessions” is set up in a parody-style, the subject matter itself aligns with Postmodernism’s most closely held virtues. Because Postmodernism is a reaction against Modernism, it changes all of Modernisms rules and views on science, religion, thought, speech, and language. Postmodernity refers to the incipient or actual dissolution of those social forms associated with modernity" (Sarup). In short, Postmodernism defies Modernism by defining all truth as relative. Through this perspective, there are many paths which lead to relative truth, not just one path to one truth.

The “Dorm Room Confessions” are students’ examples of how, through Postmodernism, they can have ideas be truth that Modernists would call ridiculous. For example, the two girls who state happily, “For me, Starbucks is so cheap”, are pointing out a statement that is true for some individuals. Yes, Starbucks is one of the most expensive coffee houses when compared to others, but to a wealthy person, a five dollar frappacino is mere trump change: thus, cheap. This is just one of the examples brought up in “Dorm Room Confessions”. While some of the ladies’ claims seem outlandish, “Kelly Clarkson and I are the same person,” some of their Postmodernism statements are held as truth by many individuals (“Speed limits are just a suggestion,” being one). In a nutshell, Postmodernism attempts to explain reality through “the relative truths of each person” (Postmodernism).

Works Cited

Sarup, Madan. An Introductory Guide to Post-Structuralism and Postmodernism.

Atlanta: University of Georgia Press. 1993. Print.

“Postmodernism”. PBS: Counterbalance Foundation. 3 May 2010. Web.

“Dorm Room Confessions: Fun With Postmodernism.” YouTube. 3 May 2010. Web.