Jean Baudrillard by Doug Mann, Response

“Death of the real” – “Simulacrum” – “Desert of real”

No matter which way he phrases the theory it is clear, we all are constantly and relentlessly immersed in the culture we live in. I have problem with any various sweeping argument in general, including Mann’s. I am also curious to place this article in the (near or distant) past since it has no date, and his pop culture references are Friends and Lara Croft.

While his refurbishing of ‘simulacrum’ is interesting, I think even a mildly self-aware person has the ability to speak about a fictional person/character in the context of the show (in the TV example.) The disillusioned minority who cannot would be similar to Brooke Shields cameo on the aforementioned show, Friends, where she believe Joey (Matt Leblanc) to actually be his soap opera character, Drake. META.

“Loss of reality isn’t so hard to understand but difficult for some of us to swallow.” So maybe, I am also just a lost lamb and this desert is too real for me to accept. *shrugs, turns Netflix back on*