Hyperreality

One form of hyperreality that affects American culture is the idea of reality TV. Philosopher Jean Baudrillard once described a reality show as "a media illusion of live reality". Media tries to blend together different perceptions of reality in order to produce a show that it thinks the public will be responsive towards and entertained by. People see shows such as Laguna Beach, Survivor, Making the Band, etc and recieve their own interpretations from them that can effect there daily lives and their actual 'reality'. Baudrillard said that hyperreality “postulates that we live in a world where simulated feelings and experiences have replaced the real thing”.People can get so wrapped up in these TV shows that call themselves 'reality' but yet are only media-produced counterfeits. Reality TV gives us a false idea of how people should look, what they should talk like, how they should love and what they should live for and often, faithful viewers of the shows wind up dissappointed when their own lives do not reflect the same satisfaction that TV show characters seem to be recieving. Hyperreality is seeping in way to deep to every aspect of TV, commercials and everyday life and blurring the distinction between pure television entertainment and the lives of actual humans beings.





http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/related_news/2007_Mar_07_baudrillard_dead

What Christians need to do about the crisis of Postmodernity.

As Christians we have to try to effect people and show Gods love even admists the crisis of a postmodern world. We're living in an era where nothing is final, nothing is true, people almost have no value and everything is relative and different for each person. According to Postmodernism, each person is shaped by their community. Which in a way is true but as Christians we have a responsibility to overcome and be an example of something different. We have to show that there are absolute truths and we know what they are and we can verify them. We have to show that each person as an individual is valuable, not only to the world and there place in it, but also to God as their father. We have to show that things do have consequences and life does have a purpose. To deal with the crisis of Postmodernism Christians must show a love that so many people believe does not exist. We must do our best to be educated about the postmodern lifestyle and beliefs and we must be educated about our own Biblical worldview. Most Posdmodernists will probably reject what we have to say because Christianity might be true for us but not true for them but we have to keep trying to reach out with the message of Christ. We have to keep reaching out for the sake of those people who will listen and will find the truth that they've been searching for all along. For the sake of those who know there has to be something more.

Happy Endings

The last chunk of F in"Happy Endings" is an example of metafiction because the author stops writting the story and directly addresses the reader. They discuss beginnings and endings and how not much can be said for a plot. The author makes a statement about the fiction they're writting within the fiction. The metafiction lets the author addresses the reader and it explains the point of why they wrote it and the reason for the way they wrote the story. It shortly sums up their view on how there is a need to stop focusing on the what of the plot, what happens next, but why and how it happens. How it's important to know the cause behind something, why it happened in the first place. This kind of ties into our ants project, instead of just passing people by and excepting what they are why not stop and try and find out how they got like that and why. Both the author of Happy Endings and our ants project forces us to find out whats behind everything and to engage in the real reason for things, not just to focus on whats given to us or whats on the surface.

Captain Jack Sparrow

Captain Jack Sparrow is postmodern in how he views life and the way it should be lived. He has a carefree attitude and often lets things slide. Anything that benefits him is good and worth pursuing but rarely does he, unless it is a spur of the moment good natured act, do anything that does not result in his favor instead he ignores or deems it as useless. Whatever is right for him is ok, just as whatever is right for those around him is ok too, unless of course it puts him at risk. He has no problem indulging in immoral pleasures and lives his life on the edge because he literally doesn't know if he's going to live to see the next day. His actions, escapes and successes are often based on chance and he barely ever plans out what his next step is. He is subject to his fate and doesn't really seem to care. He embraces the uncertainty he lives in and enjoys ever moment of it.

side note

oh and side note...my Grandma is really good at not being an ant. She talks to everyone all the time no matter where she is. I guess that shows the difference between generations. I want to be more like my Grandma. She cares.

continued

anyway back to what I was saying. I mentioned that she seemed rushed and like she didn't really want to talk, so after I was done returning my book I justs said thank you and told her to have a good evening. I guess it just made me realize that people don't take enough time to just open there eyes and break out of there comfort zone. I mean, she was working I know, but it didn't seem like she even really noticed that I was talking to her. And that made me think of how many times I've just brushed people off or not taken the time to talk to someone sitting right next to me. Human beings are so wrapped around whats going on in there own little world that we struggle to take the time to realize thats theres more going on. And the people that we pass in the street have stories and a past and are...real I guess. I wanna be more aware of that. Be more aware of people. Be more aware that they're real. Obviously I knew they were real before but really try to care. To not be such an Ant I guess.

ANTS

I did have my ants moment. It was at borders this evening right before the game started. I decided to go there and read for a little bit in my spare time, I also had a book to return. When I got up to the counter to return my book I decided to start a conversation with the lady behind the cash register instead of just returning my book, smiling and walking away as if I didn't interact with a living human being. I started asking her if she liked working here and about jobs, about applying there actually and things along that line. She seemed kinda of rushed even though there wasn't anyone in line behind me. I'm going to finish writting the important things in this blog tomorrow because I'm very tired right now. So more to come...

ECHOS?

At this point in the movie I really don't know what the echos mean. Everytime it echos its because either Rosencrantz or Guildenstern yelled at the other and I think there talking about stuff they don't want anyone to hear, so the echo might give away there conversation maybe? The echos might also just be a way to reassure the audience that they are in fact living and apart of the play and had everyday lives that, in a way, could be heard but not really seen or important enough to be cared about. Because R&G are such one dementional characters, during Hamlet the book, we almost forget about them and its almost like there not real.

R&G

I don't really fully understand the difference between disapproval and approval on this. I think like does Horatio agree or disagree with what Hamlets saying is what it means? I think Horatio is agreeing or approving because when he say "go to it" it seems like he's just brushing R&G aside. Like this is just another task that they are sent out to complete, it just happens to be their death. Their no longer useful to the story, so he's just dissmissing them from the play.