The Real Question

Earlier in the semester, Dr. Vince asked us to read "The Real Thing" by Henry James (http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/2098/), and after we discussed it in class, it really got me thinking about things being real vs. being fake.

I know, at first, that battle sounds like there's no competition. We've grown up in a world of mass advertisement, so the idea that the "real deal" is superior has been flaunted at us since we were old enough to be sat down in front of a TV (so basically, whenever you're born it's already forced onto you), so naturally we regurgitate that philosophy whenever the need arises.

But wait, there's more! (yay advertisement joke!) Henry James gave us one example of how the "real thing" is not only no better than the fake, but it's actually worse in this case. Of course, I suppose you could make the point that the Monarch's weren't real models, but rather Miss Churm and the Italian are the real thing in that perspective maybe...

But what about the placebo effect? (if you're unsure as to what the placebo effect is, check THIS out! http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=placebo-effect-a-cure-in-the-mind. Skidoosh!) This effect shows that it doesn't take the real thing for something to work, as long as you think it'll work. And in another way, it actually could disprove that in some cases the real thing is better, because we could just THINK it would work better, when in reality, it's no different save for a brand label or social implications.

Also, take a look at some famous artists who, while portraying heterosexuals in some or all of their works, actually are homosexuals in real life, such as Neil Patrick Harris and Freddie Mercury. In the sitcom "How I Met Your Mother," Harris plays the womanizer Barney, and Queen's song "Fat Bottom Girls" is... well, self explanatory I suppose... Anyway, they seem to play the part of a heterosexual very well, sometimes better than actual heterosexuals could ever do.

So is the real thing necessarily better than others? I say no. But at the same time, that doesn't necessarily mean that the real thing is less than others either. Basically, my opinion is to just not take anything at face value and presume quality, but instead investigate for yourself what is good or bad.