Reality: a given fact or just a societal construct?

How ironic that this week's blog is concerning the thought of reality. Last night, I watched The Matrix. In the movie, the post-apocalyptic Earth is run by machines who have established a computer program known as the "matrix," which takes on the characteristics of the world as we know it. Humans are blindly inserted into this false reality and given roles in society; however, they are never made aware of the truth.

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines reality as "something that is neither derivative nor dependent but exists necessarily." I would have to agree that it is monumentally important to recognize that reality must exist somewhere. Our existence is based on the reality that we were conceived and birthed. However, I do believe the perception of reality can be skewed by those in power. Although the actual reality is unharmed, the way people view it can be warped.

The newspaper is a great example of this concept. The purpose of newspapers is to provide information about recent events. When this information is conveyed in an article, though, it is often manipulated ever so slightly in order to enhance the story. The actual events are left unchanged, but the way in which the public understands them is an alteration of reality.

In the prescribed reading that accompanied this blog post, the author discussed the "empire of Disney" (Sorkin). The Disney parks are designed to be a sort of utopia, in which there are representations of worldwide reality that are displayed in the safety of the parks. Instead of actually visiting the actual geographic locations alluded to in the themes and rides at Disney, visitors can instead walk through clean streets among thousands of vacationers with smiles across their ignorant faces. Perhaps they "prefer the simulation to the reality" (Sorkin). Disney offers snapshots of reality that may or may not accurately represent the reality in its entirety.

In conclusion, I do believe that reality is a given fact. However, I also believe that society can construct "reality" to serve its purposes.