Post Modernism in Hong Kong popular culture: Part 1. Baudrillard's Map
Textualite
with post-modern thinking. My essays will be aimed at beginners. Any
constructive criticism is welcomed.
Post Modernism in Hong Kong popular culture: Part 1. Baudrillard's Map
--dedicated to my wife
1.1 Introduction
France is the world major exporter of philosophy: Jean-Paul Sartre's
Existentialism, Levi-Strauss' Structuralism, Derrida's Post-structuralism by
"Deconstruction of the text". Baudrillard's "Postmodernism" philosophy is
France's latest export. In this short essay, a synopsis of the theory is
presented and the implication of his theory of media to Hong Kong pop culture
is explored.
1.2 Baudrillard's philosphy of media
In Baudrillard's theory, the new Postmodern world is a world of
interconnectivity through television and internet. Everyone is "wired" by this
vast network. The television/internet/mass media present to us a reality that
is not "the real reality", but only a copy of the true reality (=simulacrum).
In the postmodern era, the simulacrum, or the copy, has replaced the true
reality and becomes real. In the universe of cyperspace, mass media, and TV,
signs and languages no longer bear any correspondence to the "real" world-but
create their own HYPERreality-which has replaced "reality" and is more than
real, more real than real. The difference between reality and representation
disappears. Through internet and mass media, reality presses upon us and
invades every aspect of our life. When we type an email or engaged in an ICQ
chat, we ourselves become part of the cyberspace. On one hand, we become more
real in the cyberspace because time and space between netizens have shrunk; on
the other hand, we have become a simulation because we reduce ourselves to
symbols and we always hide behind a persona on the net, never having to reveal
our true self. Again, reality and hyperreality collide.
1.3 Hyperreality and TVB
As an example of the above, let's examine the role of TVB, the dominant TV
station, in Hong Kong popular culture. A typical TV program would be "True
Feeling", a long running TV sitcom. In the program, we are presented with the
conflicts among members of different families. However, the types of families
presented in the program are not typical Hong Kong families. They are a
"simulation"of the real. Through these simulated families, codes of proper
behaviors and social values are encoded into the program: for example,
physicians have high social standing ; designer-labels clothing are more
"desirable"; the importance of money; the social, moral and intelluctual
inferiority of newcomers from mainland China; the shame to be a prostitute; the
shame to borrow money from the loan shark… just to name a few. In addition,
traditional Chinese religious believes are also encoded into the program and
have become real: fortune-tellers in "Buddhist" Temples are extremely accurate
in predicting the future ; the importance to worshiping the ancestors is
emphasized. The hyperreal families with their encoded values invade into every
household in Hong Kong. Many TV viewers discuss the fortune of these faked
families as if they are real. In the process, what is initially a simulation
becomes real. The difference between reality and representation disppears.
The encoded value system is reinforced, and the society becomes
hyperconformist.
1.4 Hong Kong gangster movies and its effect on society
Similarly, in Hong Kong gang movies, a faked, simulated gangster world is
presented. However, partly because of how realistic these movies are shot, the
majority of the audience comes to believe the gangster world presented is real.
Again, the copy has become the real, and is more important than the real
gangster world in the audience mind. Despite the intention of the directors
of these movies, the simulacrum has become hyperreal. This is particularly
dangerous to teenagers who are not fully developed cognitively. Not
surprisingly, many imitated their actions, and tragedies occurred.
1.5 What does it mean to be post-Modern? A temporary conclusion
The Post-Modern world, we are bombarded by information/data from the media and
information. We are more interested in the simulation of reality rather than
reality. It is a world of signs and codes, of structures without centers. But
there is no meaning and a world without absolute truth, since everything is
relative. A philosophical universe without structural center will never
provide a satisfying understanding of the meaning of existence.
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