Murphy, Eco

Eco immediately grabs the readers attention by making a black and white comparison with our American culture against the European culture's version of "amusement". In the U.S. bigger=better, faster=better, fake=better. This article definitely supports that idea by analyzing "fake cities"...and not just that, but more specifically the "Absolute Fake". Eco describes this type of city as being "entirely made up of signs, not like the others, which communicate in order to function, but rather a city that functions in order to communicate." Although Disney World is not the only example it follows this outline of a fake city the closest. I went to Disney World, more specifically the Epcot park, last weekend. Before last weekend I hadn't been to Disney since I was 8 years old. I had a strange reminiscent feeling while walking through the park. Whereas if I walk around the town I used to live in when I was 8 years old and don't remember much because it has changed so much and my memory has faded. But going back to Disney was entirely different, I felt like it had been less than a year since I had visited. I think that memory is the same as when you see a movie when you are younger and never forget it because it had such a large theatrical delivery and leaves an effect. The same happens with Disney when you walk the streets, see the castle, and most importantly meet the characters. This brings me back to Baudrillard's question; "Does reality actually outstrip fiction?" The answer is no, at least for me and my memories from when I was younger. Fiction is bigger,more real, and leaves a lasting impression, whereas reality fades and changes with time.
Eco writes about another author's view of Disney World as a "degenerate utopia". Maybe people remember Disney World because it is the perfect world, or at the least the closest we'll ever get in this lifetime, to what we all wish we could have everyday, and it FEELS REAL.