Ken Rufo on Baudrillard

This weeks post was most interesting thanks to Ken Rufo and his lecture on Baudrillard. I had heard the name before but did not know much in regaurds to Baudrillard and his theories. From discussion in class and the online lecture i now have a better understanding of Baudrillard. I found it most interesting when Ken Rufo discussed comparisons and contrasts of Marx and Baudrillard's theories. For myself, when the theories are somehow connected it helps make the learning process a bit easier especially on such intense material.

Another part of the lecture i found most interesting was when Ken Rufo explained Baudrillard's interest in simulation in two basic themes. I found his first explanation of the theory easy to relate to, especially in todays media centered world. It is true for people of all ages that television and all media make the unreal seem real. The second part of his explanation was more confusing , but the idea is that theories function as a critical simulation making meanings appear as if they are real when they are simply producing more simulation. Simulation seems to be constant and all around us, and to me it seems in our culture there is no way to avoid it. So all we can do is aknowledge that it is there and try to live the best we can within the real.