Who is Jean Baudrillard?

Jean Baudrillard is a rhetorician that not only views the world in a unique way, but also is capable of expanding the mind of those who come in contact with his messages. So many people talk about how The Media is rotting our brains and how we are not sure of what exactly we're losing, only that we are. Baudrillard is the first thinker I have come across that manages to bridge the gap between that upset sentiment and a system of thought that attempts to explain what is happening. Baudrillard suggests that humans have an obsession with consuming objects. The point of this endless acquisition is due, according to Baudrillard, to the idea that humans want to possess items for practical purposes and also that they want to feel that they are in control of something. Baudrillard takes this theory a step further by saying that humans believe that there should be an object to help with absolutely any need.

Another reason why humans are obsessed with objects may be that anyone "can look at [them] without [them] looking at me" (Foss, Foss, and Trapp 319). The authors then state that because objects do not look back at humans this may create the "ideal relationship" (319). Not only can humans have perfect relationships with objects because they are silent and able to be manipulated for the most part without fuss, objects also serve as reflections of the character of their owner. Baudrillard claims that domestic pets can also be exemplified under the category of objects, although I find that this sentiment may be arguable.

The way that Baudrillard builds up the meaning of signs through his concepts of simulation, discussion of the media, and the concept of the hyperreal is amazing. He hits the nail on the head when he talks about the homogenization of desire in American and over time, global culture. The ambiance in shopping malls, the fact that we really have such limited choices to make in the market of clothing and brand names, and the fact that the media ties everything together with advertising that reaches us all are points that cannot be denied. The media, signs created entirely by humans, have in some cases taken over. There is a psychology of shopping and life that takes over when humans go out with the purpose of buying objects of use or other. We may not pay attention to ads, even make a point of trying to ignore them, yet we are still influenced by packaging detailed with thoughts that we have had before, seen before.

Notwithstanding, Baudrillard's cause is a passionate one, for in his messages lie a certain truth that perhaps American culture is not ready to acknowledge yet. His truths are dangerous because they are based on recent phenomena, or at least twentieth century phenomena. To put it bluntly, some of his ideologies are lined up with Nietzsche's sheep theory. It is difficult to point out that, culturally speaking, and certainly as far as American television is concerned there is a definite ideal person that exists.

If everyone feels unique, yet no one is unique then the objects and the media have won. The objects have gained personality in that they have nearly everyone captivated. The weird thing is that like when Merlin turns his head away from Queen Mab to make her and her ways disappear, it works. I wonder if we would be able to close our minds to the power that the media has on us and start from zero?