Sunday, January 2, 2005

BLOGGERS PEOPLE OF THE YEAR ABC News has named bloggers the people of the year. "Blogs have made such an impact this year that Merriam-Webster named it the word of the year. Bloggers have taken the lead over traditional media on a number of stories, including racist remarks made by then-Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., at former Sen. Strom Thurmond's birthday party." Let's say the mainstream media (there are a few noble exceptions) get a motion of no-confidence. Unfortunately, it's still the money and the intrusiveness of these media that still decide politics. 12:30:25 PM    comment []

REWRITING HISTORY "Baudrillard's concept of simulation is the creation of the real through conceptual or 'mythological' models which have no connection or origin in reality. The model becomes the determinant of our perception of reality - the real. Homes, relationships, fashion, art, music, all become dictated by their ideal models presented through the media. Thus the boundary between the image, or simulation, and reality implodes (breaks down). This creates a world of hyperreality where the distinctions between real and unreal are blurred. Robert Tilton becomes a simulation of religion; Ronald Reagan a simulation of politics; and Kurt Kobain a simulation of marginality. The culture industry blurs the lines between facts and information, between information and entertainment, between entertainment and politics." One could also say that Bush has created a hyperreality of his own, Bush the religious person, the saviour of Freedom, while in fact he is the godfather of a militarist mob. He could not have done this without the connivance and even active support of the mainstream media. In the Middle Ages there was a great demand for simulacra in the form of relics of saints to give credence and importance to their local church institutions. The trade and forging business is still flourishing, especially in those places where a mythological boost is needed for local politics. Guardian: "Hundreds of biblical artefacts in museums all over the world could be fakes, it has emerged after Israeli investigators uncovered what they claim is a sophisticated forgery ring. Four men have been charged with the faking of some of the most important biblical discoveries in recent years. The artefacts in question include an ossuary which was believed to contain the bones of James, the brother of Jesus, and a tablet with a written inscription by a Jewish king in the ninth century before Christ. The indictment against the men in Jerusalem says: 'During the last 20 years many archaeological items were sold, or an attempt was made to sell them, in Israel and in the world, that were not actually antiques. These items, many of them of great scientific, religious, sentimental, political and economic value, were created specifically with intent to defraud.' The forgers not only conned buyers out of of millions of dollars, said officials of the Israel Antiquities Authority, but also damaged the science of archaeology, casting doubt on the authenticity of every artefact not uncovered in an authorised dig." 12:15:31 PM    comment []

© Copyright 2005 Hetty Litjens.