The Real and Unreal Images Through the Observation

Trinh Pham

Instructor: Nicole Lawrence

ENG 201-218

March 23rd 2015

                       The real and unreal images through the observation

Everything we see is the sequences of existing images that are either genuine or deceiving which is depended on our perception. The episode The entire history of you in Black Mirror and Hyperreal and Imaginary from Simulacra and Simulations of Jean Baudrillard both represent us a meaning of the images that we visually see are somehow phony and fake from the reality world. While between the movie above and Panopticism by Michel Foucault have some similarities about the physical as well as mental observation. However, the message from both the movie and the texts show that people prefer the phony things more than the real one because the truth usually annoying.

First of all, While in Hyperreal and Imaginary from Jean Baudrillard’s Simulacra and Simulations, the author describes Disneyland as “a perfect model of all the entangled orders of simulation”. (Jean Baudrillard, 1988).

Moreover, the clip shows that nowadays, technology is more and more convenient and state-of-the-art to everyone. The wife, Ffion tried to lie about what she cheated on Liam but the images from the device are undeniable because it tapes every single moment clearly. However, the truth or the reality which is analyzed by Baudrillard that there is a tragic contrast between the “phantasmagoria is in the inherent warmth and affection of the crowd” in Disneyland and the reality is “the absolute solitude of the parking lot - a veritable concentration camp” leaves Liam alone in an empty house with his own past happy memory keeping him company. (David Sims, 2013). Finally, he does not want to live in what is called “simulacra” from the past; he just cut the device off his body. Besides, Baudrillard states that “This imaginary world is supposed to be what makes the operation successful” (Jean Baudrillard,1988) which is compared to “Black Mirror”, the main character also lives in “the imaginary world” by usually replaying his best moment regardless of the reality. For example, when Liam has sex, he just reruns the flashback of the hottest time to do that or when he was “checking in through airport security, he rewound his past week for the agents to put them at ease”. (David Sims, 2013).