Ndavis ppt final

Simulational Selves, Simulational Culture in

Groundhog Day

A Review of Chapter 8

Monday, December 9, 2013

by Nathan Davis


Simulational, defined: The term simulational refers to an experience

that is contained within itself. The signs that are within these contained experiences will relate to

the outside world but the signs in the simulational experience are meant to be

understood within the context of the simulational experience.


So.. What does simulational mean?

Simulation is when a person participates in an experience that is highly controlled, in its own little world. These “worlds” can have variation,

but when you are participating in these experiences, what happens within them has very

little recourse for “real life” outside of that world.


Examples of Simulational Experiences:


Video Games


Theme Parks


Spectator Sports


Shopping MallsMonday, December 9, 2013

MoviesMonday, December 9, 2013

Cru!es and Reso# Vacations


Traits ofSimulational Experiences:


1. Simulational experiences are heavily dependent on technology.

Traits of Simulational experiences

State of the art in 1993! (The year Groundhog Day made itsdebut!



2. You can experience the same thing multiple times within the Simulational “world.”

It’s Ned Ryererson.. Bing!!



3. Simulational experiences can be highly addictive..

This should do it...



4. The simulational experience has become a common trait of industrialized capitalist cultures.


Brumme speci"cally mentions...

the U.S Japan. Western Europe


In order to summarize Chapter 8, let us look at the 1993 hit movie

Groundhog Day

staring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell


Groundhog Day is a movie in which a narcissistic weatherman named Phil Connors and his new

assistant, Rita are assigned to cover the story of Groundhog Day in Gobbler’s Notch, Pennsylvania.

What transcends is Phil then having to live the

same day over and over again and he

approaches every day in a very different way. The culmination is him finally winning the girl

(Rita) through calculated actions, using this

daily loop to his advantage.


“This film suggests that many of us are Narcissus and in danger of falling into that pool. Using the rhetoric of simulations

(although never using that term), the film is a metaphor for a life of social disconnection and self-absorption. A simulational culture is built upon, and builds, the simulational self, the film tells us, and until we can break out of that self-referential loop,

we are doomed to the same old, same old every day.”

-Brummett pg. 249


Let’s break it down and see how very much this movie demonstrates the idea of

simulation


Phil is told he will cover the story of Punxsutawney Phil. He makes it clear that he has done this job numerous

times before...wherein lies the foreshadowing of the endless loop. Sure enough, he wakes up the day

after Groundhog day and it is Groundhog day again, and this

continues day after day after day.


Phil, the weatherman, even before living his loop in Gobbler’s Notch, lives inside a simulation. The work he does is tell the weather that projects on a screen.

He lives in this world, manipulating graphic information on a single blue screen.


that’s sad.


Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog, comes back year after year even though the event has been

going on longer than any groundhog could live. If one passes on, another groundhog is sourced

for the job.

Brummett points out that this loop is the same fait that awaits Phil Connors, the weatherman.

He will come back day after day.. Not even death will stop the repetition.


Phil Connors starts the movie off as a pretty distasteful character. He is arrogant and rude; he

treats everyone, especially women, disrespectfully. He repeats this cycle of behavior,

MANY times.


Now, recall that Phil Connors is reliving the same day, groundhog day, over and over again.

Everything about each day is exactly the same, except the way that he treats the people in his life and how he

interacts with the people in the town.

I should mention, Phil is stuck in the town he hates because of a blizzard on Groundhog day. He can’t leave, despite his best attempts at getting out. Besides, even if

he was to leave, he would wake up in beautiful Punxsutawney the next day!


Phil goes through many iterations of his daily loop. Early in the movie, Phil becomes excited

about having no repercussions of his behaviors. He lives, literally, like there is no tomorrow. This

is very in line with Brummett’s quote about narcissus and self-absorption.


We don’t seem to have a sense how long Phil is in his simulation, because the film only highlights specific parts, rather than full days, but we do know, because of how he seems to know everything about everyone, that he has been in there a long time. Often, especially in the earlier scenes, he finds himself indulging in simulations and fantasies, but never really getting any fulfillment from any of it.


As the movie progresses, Phil develops a romantic interest in his producer, Rita.

Unfortunately for Phil, Rita is not attracted to pompous jerks like Phil.


What did the five fingers say to the face?!


That is okay with Phil, he has nothing but time to try to win Rita’s

affection. This turns out to be a harder task than Phil probably

thought possible. He takes on the challenge of learning EVERYTHING

about Rita to win her heart.


As we watch Phil sometimes squander and grapple and sometimes succeed in winning Rita’s affections, we are reminded that Phil will never be loved by Rita if 1) he continues treating women disrespectfully and 2) can only ever love himself. No matter which iteration of his everyday, it’s not until Phil sees outside of himself that he can have any hope of escaping his simulation.


As the film progresses, we see Phil, who is desperate to be released from his everyday life, fill his days with mindless activity. He watches TV, memorizing every answer to Jeopardy. He appears depressed and lazy. Of course we, as audience members, feel the sting of this simulation, as we have all been in it ourselves from time to time. It’s impossible. You’re just passing time, to pass time.


Phil begins to realize that his winter won’t ever end. The only way it will end is if the groundhog doesn’t see his shadow and there’s an early spring. Just like if Phil doesn’t see his “shadow” (ie. indulging in his own self-absorption), he might find a way out of his eternal loop.


After, comes a kidnapping (of the groundhog), a police chase and a string of suicide attempts that give him no more relief, satisfaction or consequences than anything else he’s done in the movie thus far...which unfortunately furthers his self absorption as he tells Rita that he is a “God.”


We, as audience members, on Rita’s suggestion that his simulation might be “happiness,” might be swayed into thinking so, but after watching Phil’s failed attempts, his tragedies and sadness, we see that it’s clearly not. Because of the simulation, we see that Phil is not in happiness, but in hell.


Phil, in the meantime, is falling for Rita. As Brummet suggests, Phil gives up on his

former jerkiness in order to win over Rita’s heart. The more he finds himself

respecting, admiring and loving Rita, the more he works himself out of his

“simulational obsession.”


Phil eventually moves away from trying to seduce Rita and truly tries to develop a

relationship with her. As she lies one evening in his bed, instead of trying to seduce her, Phil tells Rita how wonderful she is but of course,

she does not hear because she’s falling asleep. Phil’s so close to getting out of his simulation,

if only she were awake enough to hear.



So Phil decides to devote his days to helping others.



In this respect, he finally breaks the loop of self-absorption and

simulational culture.

Phil stops living for himself, and starts living to serve the ones around him while not only finding his heart, but bettering himself in the process.



Finally, after Phil has a truly epic Groundhog Day and the culmination

of all of his good deeds and new learned skills come together, Rita falls

in love with the new man Phil has become.

Phil exits the simulation and wakes up with Rita next to him, the day after

Groundhog day.


The End


Ndavis ppt final

Education

year groundhog day

simulational world

story of groundhog day

simulational culture

term simulational

simulational selves

simulational self

hit movie groundhog