Jacques Lacan is a french philosopher, he has been called "the most controversial psycho-analyst since Sigmund Freud. Jacques Lacan created the theory rejecting the belief that reality can be captured in language.
(Reference from Wikipedia and Lecture)
The mirror stage
1949 Lacan presents his report on mirror stage, where a 6 month year old child doesn't fully recognise that the reflection of image of themselves is in fact them, until 15 to 16 months of age do they becomes self aware that the image they see, is them. The same can be done on animals, for example, cats when young, hiss or feel threaten by the sight of another cat, which is in fact themselves in a mirror, only till they are older to they relies that what they see is a reflection of themselves.
Lacan talks about how the mirror stage can reflect ego
The Mirror stage to me tells us that we are simple unaware of who we are and our surroundings till we have developed our brain to a certain level that can work out who we are.
(Reference from Wikipedia and Lecture)
Project/Reflecting self-image
Projecting your style and personality can be done through the way we dress and act, we want to show who we are, and what we like through out clothing and our personality From the path we take in life, we take on what we think represents what we want to feel and present. This is seen everywhere, some girls who love TV shows such as the only way is Essex will follow their dress style, fashion and even their speech, so they can be like the person they ideal. Others will ignore the fashion in today's world and create their own style, but by being around people that think alike they will feel comfortable and form and be part of a like minded group defeating the object or being different. We even do self reflecting through our taste in music, an example for music can be seen the same as fashion, e.g. if what is in the music charts, then everyone must like to hear it, there for I must like this music as well to be seen as someone cool, Or the goths listen to heavy metal and doom music there for to be part of the group I must like that style of music as well. Liking a style of music can be seen as a way to project you taste and you self image, an example again, I like classical music, there for I'm smart and like upper class things.
(Reference from personal view and Lecture)
What do we want? Why do we want it? How do we know we want it?
When the subject speaks he is, unbeknownst to himself, merely ‘spoken’ (Zizek, 2006, p.40)
These are all good questions, and they are created through the journey in our life, we want things we cannot have, these things are normally placed into our minds through life that are seen to be cool or will improve your life if you can have it, these things are shown to use today through films, the media, adverts or any other type of projection. An example could be done with cars, I want a Volkswagen Beetle because they're cool, hip, stylish, and an icon, but why would i think and feel like that? Because through films and other types of media the idea that the car is cool, hip, and stylish has been placed in my mind so there for that is why I want it.
It's not just through the media, people you will look up to will have there style of choices, which you may not share, but seeing as you look up to this person and want to be like this person, you accept there style and taste, and like the same things as they do.
(Reference from personal View and Lecture)
The Big Other.
What does that mean? well God, Religion, Sociologically defined 'Order' ('Rules') A Grand Narrative, that which orders our lives, the 'Symbolic space' within wich we dwell.
The ‘big Other’ becomes the focus of all the decisions we make, whether conformist or transgressive.
The big Other defines all of our actions/ desires
e.g. the law (or social ‘rules’) gives rise to our desire to transgress
No matter what decision we make, in the back of our minds the big other, God, religion, the law will always be they're with us, you may not believe in god but the idea of what is right and what is wrong will be there with you, these right and wrongs are placed with us from the start of life, we are taught the law, religion, and what is right and wrong so we know when we go through life how to live, it's can been seen as a type of control over your life.
(Reference from Personal view and Lecture)
Control from the big other
• If the big Other is in control of our desires, then we are not.
• In this way, the big Other defines what it is to be human. To treat others in the same way we expect to be treated by them, we are treating them in the way that the Big Other desires.
• Humans are both object (of the other’s treatment) and subject (who treats the other in the same way), so desire is fulfilled in both directions
Fantasy
Everyone does it and it can be a wonderful thing to do, but everyone's fantasies are different, some will fantasy the simple things, being rich and living a life they want to have, others will fantasy about being someone else they want to be but some will have dangerous desire that can be satisfied safely through fantasy.
‘Fantasy serves as the screen that protects us from being overwhelmed by the raw real.’ ( Quote reference from Slavoj Zizek)
So what does The Raw real mean? In today games, books and films we are able to explore violence, death, and destruction, even passion without a care, knowing that what we see is only made up, unreal apart of our fantasy, this is fine, and we all mostly accept when we watch a cow boy film and the cow shoots someone dead, that this is only a story, and fantasy, no one actually died it's entertainment and part of life. But by playing video games with these aspects we are able to escape the real world a perform such act that we would not able to do in the real world can take on another level. Using fantasy to channel transgression to explore the unspoken acts, is when we are able to imagine and expand what it would be like to do these acts without consequences of our actions. Violet video games are a way to channel transgression, Hitman a game solo based on killing and taking out people, Man Hunt, a game with extreme violence and murder on other gangs, Grand Theft Auto, probably one of the best examples to channel transgression where a player can kill anyone, with pretty any weapon, whilst stealing, beating and dealing/taking drugs all within one game. It is these games that the fantasy for channel transgression can be taken, whether they are right or wrong is debatable, as at the end of the day these are only computer generated images, no one is killed and no one is hurt, but the effects of the exposures to these fantasy may have a much worst result on the players.
(Reference from personal view and Lecture)
Reality/Non-reality/Unreality, blurring the boundaries
The internet can play a big real in today's society and way of life, we use it to learn, connect and explore. it can also be used a sort of fantasy. Cyber bulling is a type of fantasy where you have the power to say and do what you want, all because your behind and computer and nobody can really do anything to you or find you. People are able to attack other people and say horrible things that they wouldn't ever normally say in real life, purely because they are masked by the computer they use.
There have been extreme cases of online bulling that pushes the boundaries, for example below
Jon Ungoed-Thomas, Times Online, March 25th 2007
ABOUT 100 internet chat room users who witnessed a British man kill himself online — including some who allegedly incited him to hang himself — were this weekend being traced by detectives to be questioned over their roles in the “cyber suicide”.
Kevin Whitrick, 42, from Telford, Shropshire, killed himself after being goaded in an “insult” chatroom at the Paltalk website. One of the users is claimed to have told him: “F***ing do it. Get on with it.”
This is an extreme case, resulting in someone death, there are however many sides to this matter. The British man Kevin could of used internet to help push himself to the limit of killing himself, knowing that are people out there that would push him, Or he could of was simply wanted people to listen to him and help him to make him feel okay, but unfortunately to the wrong people. However the other side to the bullies is that they simple didn't take him seriously, they saw someone being stupid online, and to him shut up, they told him what he wanted to hear or they were just people that loved that fact they could say and do whatever they wanted to Kevin because they are bullies and horrible people themselves. Of course this is only my theory not fact, the result not matter who did what for what reason is has still resulted in a terrible death, that shouldn't of happened.
From a personal view, there is more violet and angry people online all the time, in chat rooms and bloggers, worst on Youtube, simply because they can say and do what they like. The internet is another form of channeling transgression to some people, you able to take a role of someone that your not.
(Reference from personal view and Lecture)
