LightningBolt, Baudrillard

“There is no ‘good’ use of the media; the media are part of the event, they are part of the terror, and they work in both directions.” (229)

Baudrillard presents an interest point about the media. He not only blames the media for making violence what it is but he also blames media for the creating of any violence at all. I started thinking what the world would be like if things such as news channels, news papers, or informative internet sights didn’t exist. If we lived in a world where we had no idea what our government was dealing with. If we lived in this world would the same amount of conflict exist in our world? Baudrillard brings up the idea of terrorism several times. One of the main goals of terrorism is to create a large enough uproar that the news stations with splatter it across the news and everyone in the world will no about it. If these terrorist acts received no publicity would there be any point in committing them?

The purpose of news is so inform all of us citizens what is happening in the world. If in doing this what is happening in the world is changing is it worth altering our reality? Baudrillard presents a concept I am a little less clear on. What makes something real? He states, “Reality is a principle, and it is this principle that is lost.” (228) The images we see on the news are not real. They are simply pictures, so how are we supposed to know that something actually exists is we can not see it right in front of us. But Baudrillard even says that something that is right in front of our eyes, like the world trade centers collapsing is not reality, it is just an act of violence. When can something be considered reality?