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The very definition of the real becomes: that of which it is possible to give an equivalent reproduction. The real is not only what can be reproduced, but that which is always already reproduced. The hyper real.
Jean Baudrillard
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote discusses the concept of reality and its reproduction in various forms, suggesting that the real is intertwined with its representations.

In this quote, Jean Baudrillard explores the complex relationship between reality and its representations, emphasizing that what we consider 'real' can often be defined by what can be reproduced or represented. He introduces the notion of the 'hyper real', suggesting that in a world saturated with images and reproductions, what we perceive as reality is often a copy or simulation of something else, challenging our traditional understanding of authenticity.

Themes

RealityRepresentationHyperrealIllusionSimulation

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about the impact of social media on perceptions of reality.

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The war was won on both sides: by the Vietnamese on the ground, by the Americans in the electronic mental space. And if the one side won an ideological and political victory, the other made Apocalypse Now and that has gone right around the world.
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This false distance is present everywhere: in spy films, in Godard, in modern advertising, which uses it continually as a cultural allusion. It is not really clear in the end whether this 'cool' smile is the smile of humour or that of commercial complicity. This is also the case with pop, and its smile ultimately encapsulates all its ambiguity: it is not the smile of critical distance, but the smile of collusion
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There is nothing funny about Halloween. This sarcastic festival reflects, rather, an infernal demand for revenge by children on the adult world.
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the neighborhood is nothing but a protective zone- remodeling, disinfection, a snobbish and hygenic design- but above all in a figurative sense: it is a machine for making emptiness.
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Laughter on American television has taken the place of the chorus in Greek tragedy. In other countries, the business of laughing is left to the viewers. Here, their laughter is put on the screen, integrated into the show. It is the screen that is laughing and having a good time. You are simply left alone with your consternation.
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