Re: Baudrillard

["Ricardo Duchesne" <RDUCHESN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Date sent:      Wed, 14 Jan 1998 23:33:52 +0000
> Send reply to:  pen-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> From:           James Heartfield <James@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To:             pen-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject:        Re: Baudrillard


> You might have exprienced the war through the medium of TV, or you could
> have experienced the war through the medium of the many solidarity
> campaigns. In any event, immediate experience is not the test of what is
> real, unless of course, rality is limited to 'what is real for you'. But
> there were events taking place that were wider than the average couch
> potato's range of experience.


It is not "you" or "I"; it is us: the war in Irak was presented to us
in TV in the form of video games.

Since you want to play "reality" games, how much "wider" were those
events not experienced by the potatoes?


> Sorry for not being clear: My first point is that in introducing the
> differentiation mature/childish you are participating in the value
> schema shared between enlightenment and Marxist thinking, ie
> developmental or progressive. A post-modernist would surely embrace the
> badge of the enfant terrible with pride. IE from Baudrillard's point of
> view, Callinicos is too mature and not childish enough.
>
> In my old-fashioned view that maturity is indeed a better thing than
> childishness, I take Baudrillard's temper tantrum as evidence of
> childishness.


I guess you could say this, keeping in mind that Baudrillard does
not celebrate but criticizes our post-modern society; and
criticism presupposes enlightenment...

ricardo

> James Heartfield
>