Brain Drain Blog

Posts Tagged ‘The Precession of the Simulacra’

REPRESENTATION: The sign and the real are equivalent
Although Jean Baudrillard?recently passed away, he lives on?through the memories of his family and?”The Precession of the Simulacra,”?a theory?bequeathed to?his readers.?Sadly, as is the nature of death announcements, Baudrillard has since become a?representation of?himself in the eyes of the public.

SIMULATION: Substituting signs of the real for the real itself
So, who?initially broke this story? Why is that?singular point of view?the only representation we have in every publication? Where has personal interest and diversity dissappeared to??Reporters?have become a mere sign of reality, a hyper-reality in the field of Associated Press style “journalism.” By way of news masquerading as authentic journalism, the?story is systematically categorized,?distilled?down to?a?passage with carbon copy capability, and identically catalogued in each and every publication across the planet:?

- BBC News
- The International Herald Tribune
- Reutors.com
- ABC News
- And on and on…

Note the ridiculous post script on Reutor’s?carbon copy article: “Copyright 2007?Reuters News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.” What?

SIMULACRA: Simulation envelopes the whole edifice of representation as itself a simulacrum
Capitalism and the lack of true governance of the FCC have allowed our varied sources of news to merge into?a select few?corporate interests. How amazing that the general public believes news media?is fair and balanced, particularly?because The?Fox Network says so. Without diversity, this cannot be true. Media, as it exists today, is limited in scope.

How beautifully ironic that this?simulation must divulge?itself, particularly?under the guise of?”reporting” on?the very man who revealed the truth:

Baudrillard argued that mass media and modern consumerist society had built up such a complex structure of symbols and simulated experience that it was no longer possible to comprehend reality as it might actually exist.?(Yahoo News: Asia)

Another fine example says:

Baudrillard focused his work on how our consciousness interacts with reality and fantasy, creating from them a copy world he called hyper-reality. He said that mass media led to hyper-reality becoming a dominant force in today’s world.?(BBC.com)

And there we have it. Diverse journalism is not real. Mass media is the culprit,?as it summarizes Baudrillard’s existence in miniature, giving little reverence to?his vital human essence or?the intricacy of his theory. France’s Liberation daily?is the only?publication that offered a?3 page spread in honor of the man.

REST IN PEACE?
Museums will probably seal Baudrillard’s thoughtful notes in airtight,?acid-free folders to be filed?away once they’ve been copied?for display. As he says, “the duplication is sufficient to?render both artificial” (1738).?He?will be studied?far into future?generations and his past will be perceived as their own.

Perhaps somewhere in the ether, Dear Jean Baudrillard, you will know that I?respect you as an authentic?human being.?Your past is your own,?as is that of?Rameses, and?I am willing to let you rest, in the sacred secret of your grave, as you?return to the earth from which you came. May paradise look nothing like Disneyland.