Baudrillard posed quite the conundrum in his article “Simulation and
Simulacra,” one that is an eye-opening revelation of the world we perceive as
‘real.’ The problem at hand Baudrillard lays out to the reader is that the world
we live in is made up of facets upon facets of illusions and manipulations
crafted into an intricate mesh off delusional ideals of existence, nothing more
and nothing less.
We live in a world infested with simulation and simulacra of our own
designs, original beliefs and truths no longer valid, no longer are enough. As
we as humans face many uncertainties in our short mortal existences on this
earth we scramble to find a purpose, belief, anything that aids us in assessing
the surroundings we label as ‘reality.’
However in the scramble to find meanings to the ways of the world, we create glorified
exaggerated interpretations of the truth, falsehoods, untouchable utopic figures
to admire, and alternative realms of that exist outside the confines of space
and time. We create these intangible entities and then they become buried so
deep, the understanding that these simulacra are just rambling manifestations
and cannot accurately account to the original apprehension of being.
Instead through centuries upon centuries we bury the simulation and simulacra
manifestations conceived in our minds, and as the last living souls who had the
knowledgeable perceptions of ‘reality dying off. We continue to till the soil of
‘reality’ and sets simulations and simulacra as foundations of which the people
of the world establish themselves. The religious hierarchy, political leaders,
elders, and peers ingrained these notions into society and ingraining into a
person so well it becomes an equal component of an individual’s symmetry as
necessary as blood that runs through our veins and our genetics. And once the
simulations and simulacra impregnate our consciousness it is nearly impossible
to eradicate and because of this we are the ones ensuring their vitality for
generations to come.
Almost everywhere on this sphere you’ll find prominent versions of societies built upon
over-arching principles featuring idealism, idolism, or escapism of the ‘true
reality’ that is freighting unclear and despite our best efforts remains
universally undefinable. The film, “The Matrix” broadened the
sociological scope subtly upon the population in 1999 when it was release in
theaters by featuring two equal, yet separate ‘realities.’ One was a
computer-generated universe that bore, harvested, and enslaved humans as
expendable commodities to be used and abused. The second ‘reality’ was the
outside world, a harsh, gloomy existences occupied by the remnants of the human
civilization and the fortunate individuals unplugged from the Matrix.
I found the parallel between the movie “The Matrix” and the view of socialist Jean
Baudrillard in regard toward our world undeniably correlated. Perhaps the
writers of “The Matrix” were inspired by Baudrillard’s work and used it as a
template. Whether it was intentially done or pure ironic coincidence,
nevertheless both have similarities. In the film, “The Matrix” endless
electronic fields create an endless supply of humans, feeding them intravenously
by of plugs that act as a life support system. We share a commonality to the
humans unknowing enslaved as sheep, in the artificially generated world featured
in “The Matrix.” From the moment we are conceived and the moment we become a
being attached by an umbilical cord and life is breathed into our lungs within
our mother’s womb our ‘reality’ becomes everything we feel, see, and are taught.
Many of us are oblivious to the world ‘truths’ that society and the hierarchies in
power over time have blindfolded are eyes from seeing. In both ‘realities’ we
are all capable of comprehending the abstract, the tangible, and intangible. Yet
it is my belief that we do not follow our innate perceptions of ‘reality’ due to
our strong need for assimilation and fear of being outcast. So we often do not
question the simulations or simulacra of past generations. We merely live and
breathe in the smoke and mirrors our civilizations’ elders mesmerized countless
generations and their decedents into the disciples of the manipulated
existences.