Reality and Image

This chalk drawing questions what is real and where the line is drawn between reality and representations of that reality. If you see a large hole in the sidewalk, you walk around it, even if the hole is not real; since you thought it was real, you treated it as such. In “The Precession of Simulacra,” Baudrillard treats the real as intangible; we only experience what is real through representations of it. In “Advertising and the Political Economy of Lesbian/Gay Identity,” Fejes recognizes the limits of those representations in our society and the effects of those limits on the real. In “As Canadian as Possible,” Bodroghkozy addresses the effects of representations on reality in a similar way to Fejes, but also recognizes the possibility to both be the reality and the representation at the same time. Baudrillard claims, “The territory no longer precedes the map, nor does it survive it. It is nevertheless the map that precedes the territory,” asserting that everything is image. Fejes and Bodroghkozy would disagree however. They both discuss the relationship between what is real and the representations of that reality. Fejes recognizes that, “the consequences of such narrow representation in ads can go beyond the issues of images and identities.” He addresses decisions made to alter representations and the consequences for those being represented. Bodroghkozy likewise addresses the dangers of having image imposed upon you. She also addresses the relationship between acceptance of that image and retaining reality. She quotes De Certeau: “The art of being in between is the art of pop culture.” That is what cultural studies addresses, and why each of the three authors are important; “image” and “reality” are both real. Both have importance and the relationship between the two often has great consequence for those experiencing the two realities.