Sunday, May 27, 2007

Man from Nantucket


I was thinking of Jean Baudrillard his theories of simulacra recently and how it evolves into a social simulacra. We live in this hyperreality with out boundaries, as in to say visually what is or what is isn't. Where does our fundamental context end and begin and our ideas of what is real and true. Such as if I told you the photo next to to this is real you would believe, but would believe it is an engine, or a working engine or a yellow engine. And since it is a photograph it must entail some reality, but has it been manipulated and for what purpose. Was any manipulation to deceive or mislead the viewer or simply an aesthetic detail. These are all questions I tend to ask when looking at photograph, but especially advertising. The idea of What is or What isn't.
Like listening to the radio. I was asked recently why I listen to sports radio, and maybe not so much why just about sports radio. I listen to a lot of radio and have for the past 10 years and the difference between radio and all of stimuli is the obvious that it is audio, but that there is a certain mystery in radio and the lack of any visual imagery. Anyone who has listen to Art Bell or Coast to Coast surely can attest to the mystery side of radio, but there so many other interesting social dynamics that happen on radio, and the main being "callers". The true believers that call in to a show to express their views, it usually begins with " hello, Marcy. long time listener, first time caller", and then there are the callers that call on a regular basis, and some some are part of the show. The the thing that is nice about sports radio is that there is little political diatribe going on, and often I crave that, but with sports radio you pretty much know what your getting. Its the What is of the What isn't.
With radio its the mystery, and go back to Orson Welles in 1938 when he broadcast War of the Worlds. He literally had over a million people scared or freaked that martians were landing and strange gas was in the air. A true example of the power of radio as a medium, maybe, but it is the mind of the individual who decides what is and is isn't, he created a total simulacra out of thin air, or maybe over the air, with only the power of his voice and noise and no visual evidence. Similar to 1984 when Ronald Regan more jokingly (ha fucking ha) announced he was going to start bombing the Soviets in 5 minutes, when unknowingly his mike was on before a radio address. This to created a stir, although spun and turned political within hours, days. Not to mention Don Imus who impacted people, but it was through bigotry and racism, and he should have never been allowed on the airs in the first place.
For a time, before the ultimate nausea set in I listen to Sean Hannity who took over the time slot in our market for Alan Colmes, (ah, can't figure it out Madison). And to side track here, if you have ever heard the expression "they have a face for radio", that is Alan Colmes, kinda looks like an alien to me, and is the liberal side of the Hannity Colmes duo, but if you work for Fox I think you know where you are going when you die, no need for sun screen. But anyways callers on the Hannity show as if to the tune of a robotic implantation spout out the words " your a great American" or patriot as if no else in the world listening is not, then after expelling to their leader their right of passage then it is jump on a liberal or bash a lefty time or by way of usually speaking in tongues make sure everyone knows that Bush is just misunderstood or we have to beat everybody down over seas, you known deam terrorists, or they will come her and get us in rural Alabama. And don't get me wrong I love Alabama, I have family in Alabama, I just don't think that terrorist will be stopping in at Haleville for pie.
So social simulacra, to the daily radio listener like myself maybe I can take in a little of the madness around all of us. I think to most radio and the personality behind it becomes a preacher giving a sermon, someone they can throw up on a pedestal and get behind. Millions of Americans listen to the radio at work on a daily basis. So radio creates all these non contextual boundaries, like photography, film, television, print and advertising. Radio then like all of these mediums intrude or inhabit our daily lives and affect the way we in turn react to that medium and to the space and individuals around us. What is What isn't, we in turn judge everything around us by what we have learned via mass culture, we are judged by what is previous knowledge of an account whether small or large i.e. you have tattoos you must a criminal , or you drive a truck you don't care about the environment. Now these are examples that could pretty much be set to anyone these days and its as if ends justify the means, as to say everyone wants an easy solution to problems not easily solved, but for the most part people want to feel better that others and they want to point fingers and place blame. The example may seem convoluted , but the idea is that the vast majority of people walk around and react the way the way the have been socially "programmed" I don't like using that word, but media has conditioned our reaction to social events and to social interaction. This is simulacra. This idea this condition we live in is like a state of zombie and at times the intellectual zombie, the worst. But it is what we expect of other people and family of how they will or won't react to social situations or social stigma which stems from societal pressures, or pressures of the church, something I am not well versed in, but undeniable.
I saw this poster once and it was of two cats mating and in big letters it said " if your not pissed off, your not paying attention", and that pretty much summed it all up for me. I though wow why didn't I make that, damn, because someone was a little more ambitions, more clever, and paying attention. What is What isn't, that man from Nantucket what did he really do with that bucket.

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