Terrorism: The Case of Greece - Essay Example

Coming to violence, there has been an evolution of the means and methods used in the past and those of the modern twenty-first century. The barbarity of the old form of violence cannot be expected to come back in modern sophisticated times. However, as Baudrillard observes, the violence of the old “was more enthusiastic and more sacrificial than ours” (Baudrillard, 1993, p. 75). In contrast, the violence of modern times is more of “terror” struck by the changing ideologies of hyper-modernity. Hoffman calls this a “simulacrum of violence”. This change in the form and objectives of the terrorists over the years can be explained by the psychoanalysis of Baudrillard and Lacan and the interplay of the symbolic and the imaginary. It is also important to note here the role of the unconscious, its connection to the Real, and the way it is related to terrorists’ activities (without any definite objective). Terrorists function with the bigger goal of stimulating the psyche of the masses across the world and creating a strong global impact, thus acting within a symbolic order and trying to create meaning.

A simulacrum is the representation of reality according to Borge's fable where the map represented the changing territories of the Empire. Simulation can no more be anything substantial; it is rather something, which originates from nothing or a ‘void’, ideally referred to as the ‘hyperreal’ - “truth that hides the fact that there is none” (Baudrillard, 1994, p.1). The act of simulation refers to the prevention of having something that one does not possess. However, this simulation might challenge or threaten the gap between what is true and false or the real and the imaginary. For instance, a person who pretends to be sick needs to produce some of the symptoms of the illness to make it look like the truth. Now if illnesses can be produced then medicine does not hold its significance. Psychoanalysis explains this as the transfer of the “symptom of the organic order to the unconscious order: the latter is new and taken for “real” more real than the other” (Baudrillard, 1994, p.3). Baudrillard in his work The Transparency of Evil refers to such simulation of terrorism as the result of a ‘plunge into the void’ by society (Baudrillard, 1993, p.76). Normally, the military law would punish the simulator after he is unmasked, following the identification norm. Military psychology avoids Cartesian certainties and believes that if one is good at producing the symptoms then one is that good. The unconscious is therefore the real to Baudrillard (Baudrillard, 1994, p.4). The relation is no more similar to the map and the territory. The relation can be more easily explained by the mention of the screen, which evokes the passion for the action. It is all about the violence in form of images. Baudrillard stresses on the presence of media when he observes this – “it is advisable not to be in a public place where television is operating, considering the high probability that its very presence will precipitate a violent event” (Baudrillard, 1993, p. 75). The media, therefore, provides a modern dimension to the incidence of violence. The causes when analyzed do not refer to the typical political, sociological, or psychological reasons, which can explain such events. It is rather about publicity, which creates the mass appeal required. The same thing happened when hijackers destroyed the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center Complex, the Pentagon in Virginia, and Shanksville in the rural region of Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. The vent instantly was broadcast across the world and spread shock amongst the masses leaving them horrified and then later analyzing and investigating the reasons behind the occurrence. The presence of the media has made people across the world think in unison with the ones affected almost at the same time. The pictures of destruction and news of deaths caused created a shadow over the question of security, the role of the state, and most importantly its power, which was shaken at least for the very moment (Quay and Damico, 2010, p. 70).

The term other might be explained in this context, the Other is the ideology of disagreement or harmony through which an individual distinguishes himself/herself. Essentially the real signifies the need-based approach to life. This refers to the primal needs of a person. The imaginary concentrates upon demand. Lacan describes this as the mirror stage where the child realizes his separation from the real (his mother and the world) by viewing himself in the mirror reflection. He views himself as a whole and his demand lies in adopting the other as a part of himself. The image he sees in the mirror is different from the real child. It is a fantasy built by the child to make up for the sense of loss (separation from the mother and the surrounding). Lacan calls this the “ideal ego” (Evans, 1996, p. 52). This imaginary dominion prevails upon his life even as he moves towards the symbolic.