Jean Baaudrillard's America
In America, Jean Baudrillard explores the American society and its transgression away from genuineness, to form a fake and superficial society with no meaningful interactions. Baudrillard recalls his interpretation of the smiles he sees around him and how it reflects the romanticized Reagan reign:
“they certainly do smile at you here, though neither from courtesy, nor from an effort to charm. This smile signifies only the need to smile. It is a bit like the Cheshire Cat’s grin: it continues to float on faces long after all emotion has disappeared…the smile of immunity, the smile of advertising: ‘This country is good. I am good. We are the best’…Smile if you have nothing to say. Most of all, do not hide the fact you have nothing to say, nor …show more content…
This is a transgression against humanity because an act such as smiling, that is built into human nature, has now transformed into a robotic and routine action. There is no longer genuine warmth behind a smile. This robotic state of mind is a direct output of the hyper-real society Americans live in. The increased media presence and technology advancements has led to a lack of consciousness in people’s interactions as well as a lack of personability. This is emphasized through Baudrillard’s perception that people have nothing to say to each other, so smiling is the least personal gesture they can give. Coincidentally, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs emphasizes the human necessity for love and belonging. Humans have transgressed against fulfilling their needs in a natural way, such as through human interaction, and instead seek out interaction through other non-interactive ways, such as digital connections, which is an attribute of the hyperreality. In fact, comparing these smiles to the grins of the Cheshire Cat is making a statement about ingenuity, as well as deceit. The Cheshire Cat is a symbol of deceit; he says one thing when in reality the implications behind his statements are beyond his words. People’s smiles now mimics the deceitful smile of the Cheshire
“they certainly do smile at you here, though neither from courtesy, nor from an effort to charm. This smile signifies only the need to smile. It is a bit like the Cheshire Cat’s grin: it continues to float on faces long after all emotion has disappeared…the smile of immunity, the smile of advertising: ‘This country is good. I am good. We are the best’…Smile if you have nothing to say. Most of all, do not hide the fact you have nothing to say, nor …show more content…
This is a transgression against humanity because an act such as smiling, that is built into human nature, has now transformed into a robotic and routine action. There is no longer genuine warmth behind a smile. This robotic state of mind is a direct output of the hyper-real society Americans live in. The increased media presence and technology advancements has led to a lack of consciousness in people’s interactions as well as a lack of personability. This is emphasized through Baudrillard’s perception that people have nothing to say to each other, so smiling is the least personal gesture they can give. Coincidentally, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs emphasizes the human necessity for love and belonging. Humans have transgressed against fulfilling their needs in a natural way, such as through human interaction, and instead seek out interaction through other non-interactive ways, such as digital connections, which is an attribute of the hyperreality. In fact, comparing these smiles to the grins of the Cheshire Cat is making a statement about ingenuity, as well as deceit. The Cheshire Cat is a symbol of deceit; he says one thing when in reality the implications behind his statements are beyond his words. People’s smiles now mimics the deceitful smile of the Cheshire