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ness of the Hollywood star system and its hollow conception of romance would further compound our inability to discern between reality and its representation . In the wake of the acceleration of romantic simulacra representing a carefully manufactured symbolic paradise , Morin and Baudrillard arrive at the harrowing conclusion that true romance is dead , if indeed it ever existed at all . Although these highly original philosophers do not propose a way out of the crisis of simulation , their philosophy is indispensable in a brave new world in which an increasing amount of our quotidian experiences are filtered through technology . The next time that we find ourselves enthralled in the latest romantic comedy , Morin and Baudrillard implore us to think a little harder about the artificial nature of the cultural product that we are consuming .
REFERENCES
Barron , Lee . “ Living with the Virtual : Baudrillard , Integral Reality , and Second Life .” Cultural Politics 7.3 ( 2011 ): 391 – 408 .
Baudrillard , Jean . America . Trans . Chris Turner . New York : Verso Books , 1988 .
——— . The Consumer Society : Myths and Structures . Trans . Chris Turner . New York : Sage Publications , 1998 .
——— . For a Critique of the Political Economy of the Sign . Trans . Charles Levin . St . Louis , MO : Telos Press , 1981 .
——— . Seduction . Trans . Brian Singer . New York : St . Martin ’ s Press , 1990 .
——— . The Intelligence of Evil . Trans . Chris Turner . New York : Berg , 2005 .
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