We Have Lost Touch with What is Authentic and Real

The famous historian and former librarian of Congress Daniel Boorstin first remarked on the loss of the authentic in his praised but little read book The Image, which he published in 1961.  He commented that our culture then was so corrupted by advertising and marketing that what was real and authentic was getting lost.  The means of promotion and manipulation have greatly expanded since his book was published.  We not only have radio and television, but we live connected to our networks where we are exposed to a stream of information, most of it created by those with an intent to persuade.  The truth is lost in the mass of data we receive.  

We surf the Internet, we receive facebook status updates, tweets, RSS feeds, innumerable emails, and then we watch television, listen to the radio, read a magazine, see a movie, or watch streaming video.  We have become information addicts as if we might miss something important and forever be left behind because we were not following all current events as they unfold.  Analysis is less important that stimulation.  Being current more important than having a considered opinion.  Boorstin said we live in an age of fabrication where manipulation of events, people, and things were dominant in society.  The prepackaged information is now overwhelming us.

What do we mean by the authentic and the real?  We mean the actual people, events, or circumstances that constitute an event, place, or community.  For instance, the original New Orleans was a raunchy, dirty, libertine, city that had its share of corruption, cultural diversity and tension, wildness, and danger.  Now, the old French Quarter is tame and made-up for tourists — a Disney version of its authentic version.  What about country music?  Is it really the music of the rural south — of Patsy Cline and Jonny Cash.  No, the handlers and slick marketers have moved in to package everything to make it seem interesting and genuine, when it has lost its authenticity.

Perhaps it is just the homogenization of the culture that has made illusions more real that the reality they portray. Events are overly scripted.  The real seems almost boring and plain where there is so much that is simulated to make it interesting but safe for mass merchandising.  It used to be that each town or region of the country had its own unique, genuine identity — now those identities are just in a museum, and the towns are filled with coffee shops, brew pubs, chocolate makers, and wi-fi hotspots.  The authentic is nowhere to be found. 

Furthermore, through this loss of the authentic, America has lost its American values.  Those values used to be unique — self-reliance, independence, a mistrust of government.  Now the culture celebrates the selfish, promotional, and the bizarre.  The celebrity politicians are fauned over by the media, avnd society turns to government to solve problems — that is a monumental cultural about-face for America.

What is the solution?  Not a governmental solution, but a personal one.  The marketing culture is already past our doorstep and in our homes through our televisions, blackberries, iPhones, and computers.  It is a personal effort to re-connect with and revive what is genuine and authentic in our lives.  What values are important, and how can one be an example of them.  Much of what is genuine in our society will be lost forever in a culture increasingly commercial, and what can be preserved will be what we control ourselves through our own freedom to choose.