“For ethnology to live, its object must die.”—Jean Baudrillard “Simulation p13”
It is such an irony that for this subject to continue, its object must be died or will going to be. Taking the subject out of its living context is like taking a whale out of the ocean and place it in aquarium. The whale in the aquarium is thus, only a simulation that “masks and perverts a basic reality.”Even if the whale is later going to be released to ocean, it still can’t cover the fact that it is not the reality. Baudrillard believes, the act of returning the whale will make the simulation even more artificial. That act of taking it a step closer to “reality”is actually taking it farther. I didn’t completely understand this part. Is he saying that museumification is changing the object when transplanting and it is an irreversible act? If anyone understands this logic, please explain it in the comment.
zx.lyu 
I think that is what he is getting at, the fact that it is irreversible. Perhaps because when you try to place it back in its environment you are trying to put something back where it no longer belongs? I’m not sure. :’)
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Well the object doesn’t physically change, but it’s meaning completely changes. Think of what how we would feel about a Jackson Pollack painting if they had never been exhibited.
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It was my understanding that ethnology changes or ruins the purity of the object. When we talk about colonizers going into new places and exposing the lifestyles of indigenous people to the outside world, Baudrillard notes that the “sacred” aspects of that culture can die. This means that since they now exist outside of their original context, the meaning is lost.
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That makes sense, thanks!
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For “That act of taking it a step closer to “reality”is actually taking it farther.”, my understanding is that if the whale is living in a environment where is infinite similar as the original ocean,
From our observer’s perspective, isn’t that world a “pervert reality” for the whale?
From the whale’s perspective, if we keep the whale inside the super fake but infinite close to the real ocean reality, isn’t that means the whale will never know there is another real world out there? isn’t that a n”absence of reality being masked”? for the whale?
If the whale never know there is another world, it will never seek for the truth, is that being it further and further away from the reality?
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