Pre Class - Eco Post

For tomorrow's class we were instructed to read The City of Robots by Umberto Eco. From the very start of the piece Eco distances the U.S. from other countries in the world by the means to which our citizens will go to be entertained. He says that in Europe people are satisfied with merely going to the movies, theater, or casino for entertainment, however in America we have constructed "amusement cities" that function "in order to communicate" (200). One thing I found interesting was how Eco said he wouldn't blame more intelligent or enlightened thinks for not going to Disneyland (although i forget the page number) and how Europe is devoid of these 'amusement cities' and generally thought of as being more intelligent than America.

First Eco talks about 'ghost towns' which emulate Western cities of a century + years ago which include trains, cowboys, indians, sherifs, etc. he states that it's interesting that these attractions are born from nothing and out of pure imitative determination, they have no history yet what they represent actually happened and there are still Native Americans alive today in the U.S. and on reservations that these paid workers imitate. Next Eco moves onto the topic of 'amusement cities' and Disneyland in particular. Eco writes that Disneyland is more hyperrealistic than the ghost towns or wax museums because they try to make us believe what we are seeing reproduces reality absolutely and Disneyland "makes it clear that within it magic enclosure it is fantasy that is absolutely reproduced" (202). I found it interesting how he explained that one the 'total fake' has been admitted, in order for Disneyland (or Disneyworld, etc.) to be enjoyed it must seem completely real. That's why each ride is carefully planned out, each city represents a real city, the workers all wear location-specific costumes, they have the appropriate atmospheres, etc. Disneyland not only produces illision but by confessing it Eco claims they stimulate the desire for it as well. He also brings up versimilitude (which Lyotard discussed) in terms of our reactions at the end of these rides or when walking through these replicated 'villages' - again the whole idea that we know what we're seeing is fake (hopefully) but it's so realistic that we want to believe we're actually there or somewhere special.


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