Trauma In The Fixer
In The Fixer, the comic is set in 2001, where Sacco’s avatar as the war reporter returned to postwar Sarajevo and an economically devastated Bosnia. The postwar scenes indicate the tentative relationship between Neven and Sacco’s avatar, by utilizing the graphic and narration to allow the audience to analyze the ideology and subjectivity of the characters. According to Terri Tomsky, he defines the trauma economy as where the trauma interacts “with other capitalist power structures” (49). Similarly, Sacco reminds the reader that the story reflects the realistic side of the journalism industry, the story is based on the economic value exchange of trauma that is surrounded by political issue; thereby, “enable or disable” the awareness of particular
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traumatic experience that is narrated by Neven. Neven who sells his services to international journalists advocate the demand-to-supply relationship between Sacco’s avatar and himself, the two characters see one another as a supply while demanding information or hard currency in exchange. While the narrations of Neven differ substantially throughout the story, it generates the notion of how trauma as a commodity has served as a cornerstone of contemporary mass media production, frequently attract those who were traumatized and is in need of financial support after the trauma. Consequently, both the listening and narrating as a form of commodity in trauma economy act collectively to reinforce the notion of how trauma is represented and recognized in the political economy. The comic demonstrates the conversion of trauma into a commodity, that is when the traumas of Neven no longer “constitute use-value” for himself since the war has come to an end, but the trauma “has still to become a use-value through alienation” (Marx 82).
In another word, the circulation of Neven’s trauma turn selling into a “social necessity” for himself, regarding of his individual needs. For instance, in the beginning of the storyline, Sacco finds himself constantly buying Neven meals and drinks, at the same time being a “budget-conscious freelancer”, Sacco is alerted at the way when Neven is around – “My wallet eases out of my trouser and starts spewing money!” (Wilson and Maher 132; Sacco 59). Neven even admits as much to his interlocutor, that the relationship is based on the economic value of trauma: “When massacres happened,” Neven told Sacco, “those were the best times. Journalists from all over the world were coming here” (Sacco 49). The encounter of Neven and Sacco reminds the reader the power of money in a financially devastated war zone. Thus, the listening and narration in The Fixer reflects the realistic side of the journalism industry, sharply attentive to the way Neven represents and recognizes his trauma in the political
economy. While Neven has of his own motivation that might contrast and defeat Sacco’s purpose of recording the truth from the war-torn city, the more Sacco’s urge to get as closer and further to the truth, the greater risk from Neven’s agendas “that may be counterproductive” (William and Lyons 83). One can study the compulsion of Neven being a fixer throughout the stories from his intentions. What Neven desires is not so much to talk as to earn money that comes from narrating, thereby, commodifying both the narrating of Neven and the listening of Sacco as a form of consumption. For instance, one of Sacco’s associates call Neven as a “tower of information”, symbolically turning him from a person into an object, merely classifying him as a walking archive (Sacco 62). The demand-to-supply relationship does not go one-way from Neven to Sacco, nevertheless, Sacco to Neven as well. It is fascinating to note that the journalist has common with the ‘fixer’ – both of them gain financial benefit by making a living out of conflict, trauma, and pain. In another word, the greater the trauma and pain, the “better the living to be made” (Wilson and Maher 132). Hence, recording the ‘truth’ becomes increasingly compromised as a shared commodity, both listening and narrating parts of the trauma demonstrate how trauma is represented and recognized in the political economy. It is naïve, nonetheless, to assume that in a war-torn city that a fixer would be fully transparent and not be motivated by the prospect of financial gains. In conclusion, Sacco reminds the reader that the story reflects the realistic side of the journalism industry, the story is based on the economic value exchange of trauma that is surrounded by political issue. While the narrations of Neven differ substantially throughout the story, his impulse of narrating the traumas is contrast to Sacco’s purpose of recording the truth; hence, trauma must be understood as a form of commodity that is represented and recognized in the political economy.
traumatic experience that is narrated by Neven. Neven who sells his services to international journalists advocate the demand-to-supply relationship between Sacco’s avatar and himself, the two characters see one another as a supply while demanding information or hard currency in exchange. While the narrations of Neven differ substantially throughout the story, it generates the notion of how trauma as a commodity has served as a cornerstone of contemporary mass media production, frequently attract those who were traumatized and is in need of financial support after the trauma. Consequently, both the listening and narrating as a form of commodity in trauma economy act collectively to reinforce the notion of how trauma is represented and recognized in the political economy. The comic demonstrates the conversion of trauma into a commodity, that is when the traumas of Neven no longer “constitute use-value” for himself since the war has come to an end, but the trauma “has still to become a use-value through alienation” (Marx 82).
In another word, the circulation of Neven’s trauma turn selling into a “social necessity” for himself, regarding of his individual needs. For instance, in the beginning of the storyline, Sacco finds himself constantly buying Neven meals and drinks, at the same time being a “budget-conscious freelancer”, Sacco is alerted at the way when Neven is around – “My wallet eases out of my trouser and starts spewing money!” (Wilson and Maher 132; Sacco 59). Neven even admits as much to his interlocutor, that the relationship is based on the economic value of trauma: “When massacres happened,” Neven told Sacco, “those were the best times. Journalists from all over the world were coming here” (Sacco 49). The encounter of Neven and Sacco reminds the reader the power of money in a financially devastated war zone. Thus, the listening and narration in The Fixer reflects the realistic side of the journalism industry, sharply attentive to the way Neven represents and recognizes his trauma in the political
economy. While Neven has of his own motivation that might contrast and defeat Sacco’s purpose of recording the truth from the war-torn city, the more Sacco’s urge to get as closer and further to the truth, the greater risk from Neven’s agendas “that may be counterproductive” (William and Lyons 83). One can study the compulsion of Neven being a fixer throughout the stories from his intentions. What Neven desires is not so much to talk as to earn money that comes from narrating, thereby, commodifying both the narrating of Neven and the listening of Sacco as a form of consumption. For instance, one of Sacco’s associates call Neven as a “tower of information”, symbolically turning him from a person into an object, merely classifying him as a walking archive (Sacco 62). The demand-to-supply relationship does not go one-way from Neven to Sacco, nevertheless, Sacco to Neven as well. It is fascinating to note that the journalist has common with the ‘fixer’ – both of them gain financial benefit by making a living out of conflict, trauma, and pain. In another word, the greater the trauma and pain, the “better the living to be made” (Wilson and Maher 132). Hence, recording the ‘truth’ becomes increasingly compromised as a shared commodity, both listening and narrating parts of the trauma demonstrate how trauma is represented and recognized in the political economy. It is naïve, nonetheless, to assume that in a war-torn city that a fixer would be fully transparent and not be motivated by the prospect of financial gains. In conclusion, Sacco reminds the reader that the story reflects the realistic side of the journalism industry, the story is based on the economic value exchange of trauma that is surrounded by political issue. While the narrations of Neven differ substantially throughout the story, his impulse of narrating the traumas is contrast to Sacco’s purpose of recording the truth; hence, trauma must be understood as a form of commodity that is represented and recognized in the political economy.