Fakery versus Simulation
The theory of the simulacra extends beyond merely creating a copy. It is not simply relegated to producing a fake version of reality. It is far more complicated in that it also involves engendering a perception of reality which is both accepted and presented. Baudrillard calls upon the words of another writer to intensity the suggestion of the differentiation:
"Whoever fakes an illness can simply stay in bed and make everyone believe he is ill. Whoever simulates an illness produces in himself some of the symptoms"
Disney’s Concentration Camp
No, you didn’t miss this controversial ride on your last visit to a Disney theme park. (But the theory of the simulacra predicts that it is inevitable there will one day be something akin to the idea.) Disneyland is the iconic concrete reality of the theory in that its reproduces reality in miniature. But there are really two sides to the parks and the imagery here is startling:
“One parks outside and stands in line inside, one is altogether abandoned at the exit. The only phantasmagoria in this imaginary world lies in the tenderness and warmth of the crowd, and in the sufficient and excessive number of gadgets necessary to create the multitudinous effect. The contrast with the absolute solitude of the parking lot - a veritable concentration camp - is total.”
Faking It
The theory of the simulacrum posits the fundamental idea of the existence of an absolute truth that is subject to the vagaries of untruth. The systemic process of duplicating experience and recreating reality has become so ingrained in the modern world that repressive powers cannot be trusted to identify the difference: what is perceived to be criminal is assumed to be criminal. This idea is projected into an oppositional experimentation:
“Organize a fake holdup. Verify that your weapons are harmless, and take the most trustworthy hostage, so that no human life will be in danger (or one lapses into the criminal). Demand a ransom, and make it so that the operation creates as much commotion as possible - in short, remain close to the "truth," in order to test the reaction of the apparatus to a perfect simulacrum. You won't be able to do it…(a policeman will really fire on sight; a client of the bank will faint and die of a heart attack; one will actually pay you the phony ransom)”
King Kong
Of the many films which Baudrillard examines over the course of the text, arguably the most fascinating his interpretation of the meaning of King Kong. It is one in which, essentially, the beast has become the simulacrum of humanity and the final imagery in which he punctuates his point is convincing:
“Monstrosity has changed in meaning… King Kong wrenched from his jungle and transformed into a music-hall star. Formerly, the cultural hero annihilated the beast, the dragon, the monster - and from the spilt blood plants, men, culture were born…The profound seduction of the film comes from this inversion of meaning: all inhumanity has gone over to the side of men, all humanity has gone over to the side of captive bestiality, and to the respective seduction of man and of beast, monstrous seduction of one order by the other, the human and the bestial.”
