The Guardian: In the science fiction film The Matrix, all-powerful machines transform the planet into a huge computer simulation where humans exist only in a dream world. Among the few sentient "free" people left fighting the machines is Cypher, who abandons the struggle following a revelation: he actually prefers the simulation to reality.
"I know this steak doesn't exist," he says. "I know that when I put it in my mouth, the Matrix is telling my brain that it is juicy and delicious. After nine years, you know what I realise?" He chews the steak ostentatiously and sighs. "Ignorance is bliss."
6 comments:
I find it surprising how most people have blown off all of these recent stories as just "how it is". To be frank, I'm not a big fan of hamburgers or beyonce or following bicycle races, but the big idea of all this is that those with a little power and influence don't see anything morally wrong with lying. If singers and athletes and food corporations don't mind lying to us in the least, and the people of the world don't seem to mind the lies.... where is the line drawn?
As a side note-- the entertainment industry we're all looking into joining is, in some sense, based on "lies". We create an environment that doesn't exist so that a story that never happened can be told. The main difference here is that no one goes into a live theatre show saying "I'm seeing absolute reality. These are all facts." But, when people eat a hamburger or look into the world record book, they expect to see reality and facts. The actual lies told don't matter in this case, it's the concept of creating an environment and telling stories that never happened as though they WERE facts on a public scale.
To expand on Kelly's statement, fake and a lie are two very different notions, often connected yet inherently dissimilar. Something fake is acceptable as long as it is not a lie, and presented as what it truly is: an imitation of reality, or expected reality. And on the flip side of the issue, a lie is not necessarily about something that is fake, but it remains unacceptable nonetheless. The real question is, even if we are told that something is fake, should we settle for a false reality?
This article comes to the verge of an imporant discussion of what we, especially as theater technicians, attempt to do every day, which is essentially taking the surprise out of live performance. Our job is to make things predictable, have plans, and repeat a show over and over. So I take issue with the case that live performance means anything can happen, and that's why the audience is there: "Moreover, the essence of a live performance is the understanding that the audience is experiencing the event in real time and anything can happen. It is that combination of synchronicity, spontaneity and frailty that gives live performances their edge – it's the one take that matters."
This is partly false- sure, live performance is engaging because of frailty and raw emotional engagement, but not because of "anything can happen" because, if we're doing our jobs right, it can't.
When I found out Beyoncé was lip syncing, my first thought was "well that doesn't surprise me". I'm not saying that I wasn't a little dismayed, it's just that I've grown accustomed to being disillusioned. we're always being lied to, it just if it's to protect us we don't mind, when it's to protect someone else, well that's goes against all our kinder garden morals. A text book no no of sorts.Of course, I would like to point out that doping and lip syncing are two VERY different things. Its the difference between cheating and chickening out, and therefore really shouldn't be compared. It's the fact that they were covered up thats the issue. It's as though average people are some child that you lie to because you can't bear to see the look on their face if you told them the truth. Admit it, we've all done it at one point in time or another. A little white lie to keep them happy, a little white lie to keep them quite. Lying is easy. It was easier for Beyoncé to lip sync in front of the president then to stand up in front of the entire country and say" I didn't have time to rehearse and the cold will make my voice cracks, I'm scared I might screw up but I'll give it my best shot." Who wouldn't be scared, especially when society judges stars so harshly. But fear's part of life isn't it. So yes I'm a little disappointed that Beyoncé lip synced. And yes I would like if the media was a little more truthful (I'd prefer not to second guess if the meat I'm eating is actually meat.) but Beyoncé is still human, so let's not be so quick to judge her when we all need to work on not telling lies or judging others to harshly.
First of all, I take huge issue with this article's assertion that Beyonce lip-syncing (which he seems to find the most egregious, since he spends pretty much the whole article on it) is symptomatic of the same ideals that led to Lance Armstrong doping & lying about it, or people selling contaminated meat. Sure, culture & society now is largely based on the non-truth (retouched photos, autotuned singers, and staged political photo ops), but like Brian said, we go to huge lengths to make a live performance as standardized as possible, and we have contingencies for if something doesn't work or something goes wrong. Really, Beyonce using a recording instead of singing live is just like us using a gunshot sound cue rather than really firing a blank onstage. Beyonce choosing not to sing live may have had to do with the safety of her voice just as much as it did her "fear" of not sounding how she wanted. In theatre, we balance these things all the time, and fake most of the things we do. We use sound cues, microphones, and make wood look like metal.
So this article was extremely thought provoking for myself. My take on the article was that entertainment professionals have been ling to us (the "wholesome" people of America) and have been deceiving us! Is any one really surprised by this. But I do feel that Beyonce is getting the show end of the stick. Why are we picking at the surface, when we are lied to every day from CNC, CNBC, FOX, NEWS 24 hour, a large majority of the words that come out of all politicians mouths. Maybe it is just easier to pick on Beyonce then to pick on maybe the American Public. WE THE PEOPLE put up with people lying to us, WE THE PEOPLE hear what we want to hear.
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