"Real" Post Class 2/28/10

We haven't talked about Baudrillard's essay on simulacra since Tuesday, due to our test on Thursday, but it has given me plenty of time to gather my thoughts. In particular, there is one quote that jumped off the page for me: "Transgression and violence are less serious because they only contest the distribution of the real. Simulation is infinitely more dangerous because it always leaves open to supposition that... law and order themselves might be nothing but simulation" (466).

As a lacrosse player, I will try to explain that quote in words I can understand. In practices, our team prepares by watching film, reading scouting reports and simulating our opponent's offense, defense, clearing attack, etc. We will run repetition after repetition of our opponent's strategy and we will put ourselves in every "realistic" situation we can in practice, so that we will be able to execute OUR defensive and offensive strategies against our opponent in the game. Any way you slice it, there is no "realistic" scenario you can create in a practice - only simulations. No matter how we prepare our simulated situations in practice, there is absolutely no guarantee our opponent's will perform the same way they have against other teams when they play us.

That's why simulation is "dangerous." IT'S NOT REAL. Simulation and "hyperreal" events merely scratch the surface in comparison to reality. And, to jump away from the lacrosse analogy, I kinda understand the point Baudrillard is making about Disney a little better. Even though we have been discussing all the political problems with Disney since CMC 100, I "get it" a little more every time I read an essay on Disney.

Also, a special thanks to Louisa Gibbs for the study session on Monday night - really helped.