Monday, January 28, 2008

How does hyperreality effect the American perception of love and relationships?

Hyper-reality is a new term coined by postmoderns to describe the method by which us humans distinguish between reality and fiction. According to Wikipedia, it is most relevant in technologically advanced, postmodern cultures. It is becoming more prevalent in society as things become more and more real. I actually felt like I was in a movie in real life after seeing the film "Cloverfield" and it seemed as though I was looking through a camera lens. The English Oxford dictionary defines "reality" as having objective existence or a place in the domain or reality. These definitions are somewhat vague and do little to let us know what true reality is, making it easy for us to think some things are real when they are not. The American perception of love and relationships is changed by the media. TV shows such as Two and a Half Men and so called "reality tv shows" change the American perception of love and relationships. Everything is disconnected. There is no traditional family values, there are no traditional family relationships and even families are torn apart. One thing that we have to look out for is how our minds are being exposed to this non real world of media. It seems so real, so viable and tangible, but leaves us with nothing but lies and amusement. Love is not real, love becomes what the media portrays it: "a one night stand". Relationships are fragmented and the families who absorb this reality start to have these ideas engraved into their minds. It will eventually infiltrate every crevice of society as the media's ability to create things that seem more and more "real" arises. We must look at it realistically and through a Christian perspective to determine what is correct and incorrect.

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