Hyperrealism

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

The concept of hyperreality pervades many aspects of our lives, especially as Americans in a culture obsessed with seeing the impossible ideal and superimposing it over reality. We don't like seeing things in a light that hasn't been presented to us through some media form, whether that light is pleasant or not.
Our perception of love and relationships in general have been, as it could be said from certain perspectives, tainted by the hyperreal images given to us in various media formats. The basic movie romance is a prime example of this, where the main character, hero/heroine, etc. meets his or her love interest, has adventures, comical, epic or otherwise, or a journey of some kind and they're all happy in the end. This is not what always happens, it doesn't always work out in the middle, it doesn't always work out at the end, and it doesn't event begin in some cases. People make mistakes, bad choices, misfortunes occur and "falling in love" could really just be desperation. Sometimes this ideal does happen, and while nice, it also reinforces the hyperreal images we hold. This can, unfortunately, lead those inclined to believe that hyperreality is more real than it is to become disenfranchised with the real and reject it in favor of this enhanced and idealized notion. This propagates the cycle as they create a demand for more fantastic and impossible hyperreal perceptions to be fed to them, bringing about a spiral. Whether this spiral is upward or downwards depends on your perspective, as a cycle of hyperreal perceptions in society as a whole could be seen to lead to an attempt to change attitude and the course of action to reflect these fabricated ideals and thus the hyperreal becomes the real. The problem with this is that it requires mass acquiescence and a common perception that may not be beneficial in the long run or even achievable if it is. Also, from a Christian perspective, the ideals of man will more often than not be counter to the will of God. This of course is an argument for the downward spiral of the hyperreal perception cycle.
Another, more subtle yet more prolific form of the hyperreal tainting the perception of the real is "Reality Television", especially those shows dealing with relationships. When a couple is 'matched up' through the show's process, it is glossed over, even scripted (they're lying when they say it's not) to make it seem better than it really is. This has the same effect as the previously mentioned example in creating a cycle of desire for the hyperreal image as people cannot deal with the reality that it does not match.


(I realize that this is not MLA format. I object to the limitations of MLA formatting and the cookie-cutter, mass produced, unimaginative writing it produces. It is a tool for young essayists who have trouble organizing their thoughts in a logical and meaningful fashion, not a universal cure-all format for every piece of academic writing. I'll get off my soapbox for now, but this is not the last I have to say on the subject.)

Horatio's Words

I think this line is spoken with a mixed tone. Although Horatio knows that Hamlet has just sent two of his friends to their deaths, he has foiled the king's plot to kill him in England. Horatio probably does not approve of Hamlet's method of saving himself, however, after Hamlet's treatment of them, Ros and Guil don't really seem to be his friends. He does not show remorse at their death, although since he is arguable mad, we cannot really understand him fully, and it appears to me that he just threw them away. As was said in class, they are "sponges", just tools of the king, and so if it foils Claudius's plans, so much the better for it.