Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
Today w e d o n o t t h i n k t h e virtual, t h e virtual t h i n k s us. A n d t o u s this elusive t r a n s parency, w h i c h separates us definitively f r o m t h e real, is as u n i n t e l l i g i b l e as is t h e
w i n d o w p a n e t o t h e f l y w h i c h b a n g s against i t w i t h o u t u n d e r s t a n d i n g w h a t s e p arates i t f r o m t h e o u t s i d e w o r l d . T h e f l y c a n n o t e v e n i m a g i n e w h a t i s s e t t i n g this
l i m i t o n its space. Similarly, w e c a n n o t e v e n i m a g i n e h o w m u c h t h e v i r t u a l - a s
t h o u g h r u n n i n g a h e a d o f u s has already t r a n s f o r m e d all t h e r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s w e
h a v e o f t h e w o r l d . W e c a n n o t i m a g i n e this, for i t i s t h e p a r t i c u l a r i t y o f t h e v i r t u a l
t h a t i t p u t s a n e n d n o t j u s t t o reality, b u t t o t h e i m a g i n i n g o f t h e real, t h e political
a n d t h e social; n o t j u s t t o t h e reality o f t i m e , b u t t o t h e i m a g i n i n g o f t h e past a n d
t h e future (this is w h a t is k n o w n , in a k i n d of b l a c k h u m o u r , as 'real t i m e ' ) . So we
are far f r o m h a v i n g u n d e r s t o o d t h a t i n f o r m a t i o n ' s e n t r y o n t h e s c e n e spelt a n e n d
t o t h e u n f o l d i n g o f history, t h a t t h e c o m i n g o f artificial i n t e l l i g e n c e spelt a n e n d t o
t h o u g h t , e t c . T h e illusion w e still h a r b o u r a b o u t all t h e s e t r a d i t i o n a l c a t e g o r i e s
i n c l u d i n g o u r illusion o f ' o p e n i n g o u r s e l v e s u p t o t h e v i r t u a l ' , a s i f i t w e r e a real
e x t e n s i o n of all p o t e n t i a l i t i e s - is t h e illusion of t h e fly u n f l a g g i n g l y b a n g i n g up
against t h e w i n d o w p a n e . F o r w e still b e l i e v e i n t h e reality o f t h e v i r t u a l , w h e r e a s
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i n real t i m e , a n d s h o w u p o n l y o n t h e v i r t u a l s c r e e n . All t e s t i m o n y , i n c l u d i n g
Holocaust a n d Shoah, sinks, in s p i t e of itself in s p i t e of us i n t o t h e s a m e v i r tual abyss - t h e abyss of events or facts w h i c h exist for as l o n g as t h e y exist a n d t h a t
i s all. T h i s i s n o t t o a r g u e t h a t t h e t e s t i m o n i e s t h e m s e l v e s , i n t h e i r a b s o l u t e s i n cerity, a n d t h e films (as i m a g e s fully e x h a u s t i n g h o r r o r i n t h e p r e s e n t t i m e o f t h e
i m a g e ) do n o t t h e m s e l v e s c o n t r i b u t e to this i m p o s s i b i l i t y of m e m o r y : the real holocaust is doomed to that other extermination which is that of the virtual. T h i s is t h e t r u e
final s o l u t i o n . S o t h e h o l o c a u s t - d e n i a l a r g u m e n t c a n n o l o n g e r b e t r u l y r e f u t e d
s i n c e e v e r y t h i n g a n d all o f u s i n c l u d i n g t h o s e w h o reject t h e a r g u m e n t h a v e
g o n e over, w h e t h e r w e like i t o r n o t , i n t o a n age w h e n t h e r e i s n o l o n g e r a n y
o b j e c t i v e r e c o u r s e . W e are, t h e r e f o r e , c o n d e m n e d t o o p p o s e i t i n a k i n d o f
m i r r o r d e n i a l , a n d this i s i n d e e d t h e u n d o i n g o r d e f e a t o f t h o u g h t , o f h i s t o r i c a l
t h o u g h t a n d c r i t i c a l t h o u g h t - b u t in fact it is n o t its defeat: it is t h e v i c t o r y of
real t i m e o v e r t h e p r e s e n t , o v e r t h e past, o v e r a n y f o r m o f l o g i c a l a r t i c u l a t i o n o f
reality w h a t s o e v e r .
T h i s d e s t a b i l i z a t i o n o f t r u t h m a y b e verified (so t o speak) i n m a n y o t h e r cases.
T h e O . J . S i m p s o n affair, for e x a m p l e . A p a r t f r o m a n y political o r j u r i d i c a l c o n s i d erations, w e saw t h e trial build u p i n t o a n a u t o n o m o u s event, f o l l o w i n g o u t its o w n
m e d i a script in a s t u p e f y i n g way, m i r r o r i n g itself in its o w n c l o s e d l o o p . As it d i d
so, i t eclipsed t h e real e v e n t o f t h e m u r d e r a n d s e c r e t e d its o w n t r u t h w h o l l y u n r e lated t o t h e o b j e c t i v e t r u t h o f t h e facts, for w h i c h t h e e v i d e n c e was t h e r e . B u t t h e
t r u e guilt o f S i m p s o n m a y v e r y w e l l c o i n c i d e - i n this u n h i n g i n g o f t r u t h f r o m its
m o d e l - w i t h his v i r t u a l i n n o c e n c e . T o t h e p o i n t t h a t S i m p s o n h i m s e l f m u s t n o
l o n g e r k n o w exactly o n c e again in t h e real t i m e of t h e trial - w h e t h e r he is guilty
o r n o t . O r w h e t h e r , like O e d i p u s , h e can 'sincerely' set i n train investigations t o d i s c o v e r t h e c r i m i n a l - w h o m a y p e r h a p s b e himself.
E v e n t h e future is n o t assured in real t i m e (this was t h e m e a n i n g of t h e paradoxical
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17
17. See Jean Baudrillard, The Illusion of the End ( C a m b r i d g e : Polity, 1994), p. 9.
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1995