Television knows no night. It is perpetual day. TV embodies our fear of the dark, of night, of the other side of things.
Jean BaudrillardRead
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the dual nature of victory in war, emphasizing both physical and psychological realms.
Jean Baudrillard points out that in the Vietnam War, victory was perceived differently by both sides; the Vietnamese achieved physical triumph in battle, while the Americans won the ideological war through media and narrative, exemplified by the impact of the film 'Apocalypse Now.' This highlights how the consequences and interpretations of conflict can transcend mere military outcomes, affecting culture and perception globally.
Themes
WarVictoryIdeologyMediaVietnamApocalypse Now
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the Vietnam War, this quote can emphasize the different kinds of victories that can arise from conflict.
More from Jean Baudrillard
All quotes →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.
Jean BaudrillardRead
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.
Jean BaudrillardRead
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 BaudrillardRead
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