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The Double Extermination

Today w e d o n o t t h i n k t h e virtual, t h e virtual t h i n k s us. A n d t o u s this elusive t r a n s parency, w h i c h separates us definitively f r o m t h e real, is as u n i n t e l l i g i b l e as is t h e
w i n d o w p a n e t o t h e f l y w h i c h b a n g s against i t w i t h o u t u n d e r s t a n d i n g w h a t s e p arates i t f r o m t h e o u t s i d e w o r l d . T h e f l y c a n n o t e v e n i m a g i n e w h a t i s s e t t i n g this
l i m i t o n its space. Similarly, w e c a n n o t e v e n i m a g i n e h o w m u c h t h e v i r t u a l - a s
t h o u g h r u n n i n g a h e a d o f u s has already t r a n s f o r m e d all t h e r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s w e
h a v e o f t h e w o r l d . W e c a n n o t i m a g i n e this, for i t i s t h e p a r t i c u l a r i t y o f t h e v i r t u a l
t h a t i t p u t s a n e n d n o t j u s t t o reality, b u t t o t h e i m a g i n i n g o f t h e real, t h e political
a n d t h e social; n o t j u s t t o t h e reality o f t i m e , b u t t o t h e i m a g i n i n g o f t h e past a n d
t h e future (this is w h a t is k n o w n , in a k i n d of b l a c k h u m o u r , as 'real t i m e ' ) . So we
are far f r o m h a v i n g u n d e r s t o o d t h a t i n f o r m a t i o n ' s e n t r y o n t h e s c e n e spelt a n e n d
t o t h e u n f o l d i n g o f history, t h a t t h e c o m i n g o f artificial i n t e l l i g e n c e spelt a n e n d t o
t h o u g h t , e t c . T h e illusion w e still h a r b o u r a b o u t all t h e s e t r a d i t i o n a l c a t e g o r i e s
i n c l u d i n g o u r illusion o f ' o p e n i n g o u r s e l v e s u p t o t h e v i r t u a l ' , a s i f i t w e r e a real
e x t e n s i o n of all p o t e n t i a l i t i e s - is t h e illusion of t h e fly u n f l a g g i n g l y b a n g i n g up
against t h e w i n d o w p a n e . F o r w e still b e l i e v e i n t h e reality o f t h e v i r t u a l , w h e r e a s

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t h e v i r t u a l has already virtually s c r a m b l e d all t h e p a t h w a y s of t h o u g h t . To s h e d a


little light on this c o n f u s i o n , I shall t a k e t h e m o s t delicate e x a m p l e - m o s t delicate
precisely b e c a u s e i t arises o u t o f t h e m o s t h o r r i f y i n g , u n i n t e l l i g i b l e e v e n t i n o u r
m o d e r n h i s t o r y : t h e h o l o c a u s t a n d t h o s e w h o d e n y it. T h e h o l o c a u s t d e n i a l p r o p osition is, in itself, absurd. T h i s is so o b v i o u s that t h e crucial q u e s t i o n b e c o m e s : w h y
i s t h e r e a n y n e e d t o p l e a d t h e t r u t h against t h e h o l o c a u s t - d e n i e r s ? W h y c a n t h e
q u e s t i o n o f t h e e x i s t e n c e o f t h e gas c h a m b e r s e v e n b e raised? I n o t h e r ages i t n e v e r
c o u l d h a v e b e e n . T h o s e w h o c o n t e s t h o l o c a u s t d e n i a l n e v e r ask t h e m s e l v e s w h y
s u c h d e n i a l i s possible; t h e y c o n t e n t t h e m s e l v e s w i t h v e h e m e n t i n d i g n a t i o n . N o w ,
t h e v e r y fact of h a v i n g to d e f e n d t h e historical reality of t h e gas c h a m b e r s as a m o r a l
cause, o f h a v i n g t o d e f e n d 'reality' i n g e n e r a l b y a k i n d o f political c o m m i t m e n t ,
attests sufficiently t o t h e c h a n g e i n register w h i c h has o c c u r r e d w h e r e h i s t o r i c a l
t r u t h i s c o n c e r n e d , a n d t o t h e w a y s i n w h i c h o b j e c t i v i t y has b e e n d i s r u p t e d .
W h e r e t h e h o l o c a u s t - d e n i e r s are plainly a b s u r d a n d w r o n g i s w h e n t h e y t h e m selves e s p o u s e realism a n d c o n t e s t the objective, historical reality of t h e h o l o c a u s t . In
historical t i m e , t h e event t o o k place a n d t h e e v i d e n c e i s there. B u t w e are n o l o n g e r
i n h i s t o r i c a l t i m e ; w e are n o w i n real time, a n d i n real t i m e t h e r e i s n o l o n g e r a n y
e v i d e n c e o f a n y t h i n g w h a t e v e r . T h e h o l o c a u s t will n e v e r b e verified i n real t i m e .
H o l o c a u s t d e n i a l is, t h e r e f o r e , a b s u r d i n its o w n l o g i c , b u t b y its v e r y a b s u r d i t y i t
s h e d s l i g h t o n t h e i r r u p t i o n o f a n o t h e r d i m e n s i o n , p a r a d o x i c a l l y t e r m e d 'real
t i m e ' - a d i m e n s i o n in w h i c h , paradoxically, o b j e c t i v e reality disappears. A n d n o t
j u s t t h e r e a l i t y o f t h e p r e s e n t e v e n t , b u t also t h a t o f past a n d f u t u r e e v e n t s .
E v e r y t h i n g n o w r u n s o u t its c o u r s e i n a state o f simultaneity, s o t h a t acts n o l o n g e r
find t h e i r m e a n i n g , effects n o l o n g e r find t h e i r cause, a n d h i s t o r y c a n n o l o n g e r b e
a n o b j e c t o f reflection.
R e a l time is a kind of black hole into w h i c h n o t h i n g penetrates w i t h o u t
l o s i n g its s u b s t a n c e . I n fact, t h e e x t e r m i n a t i o n c a m p s t h e m s e l v e s b e c o m e v i r t u a l
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i n real t i m e , a n d s h o w u p o n l y o n t h e v i r t u a l s c r e e n . All t e s t i m o n y , i n c l u d i n g
Holocaust a n d Shoah, sinks, in s p i t e of itself in s p i t e of us i n t o t h e s a m e v i r tual abyss - t h e abyss of events or facts w h i c h exist for as l o n g as t h e y exist a n d t h a t
i s all. T h i s i s n o t t o a r g u e t h a t t h e t e s t i m o n i e s t h e m s e l v e s , i n t h e i r a b s o l u t e s i n cerity, a n d t h e films (as i m a g e s fully e x h a u s t i n g h o r r o r i n t h e p r e s e n t t i m e o f t h e
i m a g e ) do n o t t h e m s e l v e s c o n t r i b u t e to this i m p o s s i b i l i t y of m e m o r y : the real holocaust is doomed to that other extermination which is that of the virtual. T h i s is t h e t r u e
final s o l u t i o n . S o t h e h o l o c a u s t - d e n i a l a r g u m e n t c a n n o l o n g e r b e t r u l y r e f u t e d
s i n c e e v e r y t h i n g a n d all o f u s i n c l u d i n g t h o s e w h o reject t h e a r g u m e n t h a v e
g o n e over, w h e t h e r w e like i t o r n o t , i n t o a n age w h e n t h e r e i s n o l o n g e r a n y
o b j e c t i v e r e c o u r s e . W e are, t h e r e f o r e , c o n d e m n e d t o o p p o s e i t i n a k i n d o f
m i r r o r d e n i a l , a n d this i s i n d e e d t h e u n d o i n g o r d e f e a t o f t h o u g h t , o f h i s t o r i c a l
t h o u g h t a n d c r i t i c a l t h o u g h t - b u t in fact it is n o t its defeat: it is t h e v i c t o r y of
real t i m e o v e r t h e p r e s e n t , o v e r t h e past, o v e r a n y f o r m o f l o g i c a l a r t i c u l a t i o n o f
reality w h a t s o e v e r .
T h i s d e s t a b i l i z a t i o n o f t r u t h m a y b e verified (so t o speak) i n m a n y o t h e r cases.
T h e O . J . S i m p s o n affair, for e x a m p l e . A p a r t f r o m a n y political o r j u r i d i c a l c o n s i d erations, w e saw t h e trial build u p i n t o a n a u t o n o m o u s event, f o l l o w i n g o u t its o w n
m e d i a script in a s t u p e f y i n g way, m i r r o r i n g itself in its o w n c l o s e d l o o p . As it d i d
so, i t eclipsed t h e real e v e n t o f t h e m u r d e r a n d s e c r e t e d its o w n t r u t h w h o l l y u n r e lated t o t h e o b j e c t i v e t r u t h o f t h e facts, for w h i c h t h e e v i d e n c e was t h e r e . B u t t h e
t r u e guilt o f S i m p s o n m a y v e r y w e l l c o i n c i d e - i n this u n h i n g i n g o f t r u t h f r o m its
m o d e l - w i t h his v i r t u a l i n n o c e n c e . T o t h e p o i n t t h a t S i m p s o n h i m s e l f m u s t n o
l o n g e r k n o w exactly o n c e again in t h e real t i m e of t h e trial - w h e t h e r he is guilty
o r n o t . O r w h e t h e r , like O e d i p u s , h e can 'sincerely' set i n train investigations t o d i s c o v e r t h e c r i m i n a l - w h o m a y p e r h a p s b e himself.
E v e n t h e future is n o t assured in real t i m e (this was t h e m e a n i n g of t h e paradoxical

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p r o p o s i t i o n : ' T h e Year 2 0 0 0 will n o t t a k e p l a c e ' ) .

17

And it would seem appropri-

ate h e r e t o discuss P a u l Virilio's v i s i o n o f t h e 'final A c c i d e n t ' , t h e ' A c c i d e n t t o e n d


all A c c i d e n t s ' , t h e ' A p o c a l y p s e o f t h e V i r t u a l ' w h i c h h e foresees a t t h e e n d o f this
e v o l u t i o n or, b e t t e r , i n v o l u t i o n o f o u r w o r l d i n t o real t i m e . Yet n o t h i n g c o u l d
b e less sure t h a n t h a t a p o c a l y p s e (alas, e v e n this c e r t a i n t y e l u d e s us!). T o d r e a m o f
t h e 'final A c c i d e n t ' i s t o s u c c u m b t o t h e illusion o f t h e e n d . I t i s t o f o r g e t t h a t v i r tuality itself is v i r t u a l a n d t h a t , by d e f i n i t i o n , its definitive a d v e n t , its a p o c a l y p s e ,
c a n n o t t a k e o n t h e force o f reality. T h e r e w i l l b e n o a p o c a l y p s e o f t h e v i r t u a l a n d
o f real t i m e precisely b e c a u s e real t i m e abolishes linear t i m e a n d d u r a t i o n , a n d
t h e r e b y t h e d i m e n s i o n i n w h i c h t h e y m i g h t d e v e l o p t o t h e i r e x t r e m e limits. T h e r e
is no linear-exponential function of the Accident any m o r e than such a function
exists for a n y t h i n g else - a n d its possible e v e n t u a t i o n r e m a i n s a r a n d o m m a t t e r . T h e
radical b r e a k w i t h t h e real w h i c h t h e v i r t u a l creates, t h e b l a c k - o u t o r collapse o f
t i m e w h i c h real t i m e b r i n g s a b o u t , h a p p i l y p r e s e r v e u s f r o m t h e u l t i m a t e e x t e r m i n a t i o n . T h e v i r t u a l system, like a n y o t h e r , i s d o o m e d , a s i t e x p a n d s , t o d e s t r o y
its o w n c o n d i t i o n s o f possibility.
W e s h o u l d n o t d r e a m , t h e n , o f a n apocalypse i n t h e future, a n y m o r e i n d e e d t h a n
w e s h o u l d d r e a m o f any Utopia w h a t s o e v e r : t h e y will n e v e r t a k e p l a c e i n real t i m e :
t h e y w i l l r u n o u t o f t i m e itself.
If t h e r e is a v i r t u a l r e v o l u t i o n , t h e n we s h o u l d a c c o r d it its full m e a n i n g a n d t h i n k
t h r o u g h all its c o n s e q u e n c e s , e v e n if we r e m a i n free radically to reject it. If t h e r e is
n o virtual apocalypse, b u t t h e apocalypse i s itself v i r t u a l (and, virtually, w e are i n t h e
a p o c a l y p s e : y o u o n l y have t o see t h e d e v a s t a t i o n o f t h e real w o r l d all a r o u n d ) , t h e n
i t i s t h e s a m e w i t h all t h e o t h e r c a t e g o r i e s . T h e social, t h e political, t h e h i s t o r i c a l
e v e n t h e m o r a l a n d p s y c h o l o g i c a l - there are no longer any but virtual events within all

17. See Jean Baudrillard, The Illusion of the End ( C a m b r i d g e : Polity, 1994), p. 9.

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these categories. T h i s m e a n s it is useless s e a r c h i n g for a politics of t h e virtual, an ethics


of t h e v i r t u a l , etc., s i n c e it is politics itself w h i c h is b e c o m i n g v i r t u a l , ethics itself
w h i c h has b e c o m e v i r t u a l , i n t h e sense t h a t b o t h politics a n d ethics are l o s i n g t h e
p r i n c i p l e s g o v e r n i n g t h e i r a c t i o n , l o s i n g t h e i r force o f reality. A n d this e v e n applies
w h e r e t e c h n o l o g y i s c o n c e r n e d : w e speak o f ' t e c h n o l o g i e s o f t h e v i r t u a l ' , b u t t h e
t r u t h i s t h a t t h e r e are n o w o n l y o r t h e r e w i l l s o o n o n l y b e - v i r t u a l t e c h n o l o g i e s .
N o w , t h e r e c a n n o l o n g e r b e a n y n o t i o n o f artifice i n a w o r l d i n w h i c h t h o u g h t
itself, i n t e l l i g e n c e , is b e c o m i n g artificial. It is in this sense that we c a n say t h a t it is
t h e V i r t u a l w h i c h t h i n k s us, n o t t h e o t h e r w a y a r o u n d .
This e n q u i r y into the virtual is m a d e even m o r e delicate and c o m p l e x today by
t h e e x t r a o r d i n a r y h y p e s u r r o u n d i n g it. T h e excess o f i n f o r m a t i o n , t h e massive
a d v e r t i s i n g effort, t h e t e c h n o l o g i c a l pressure, t h e m e d i a , t h e i n f a t u a t i o n o r p a n i c
e v e r y t h i n g is c o n t r i b u t i n g to a k i n d of collective h a l l u c i n a t i o n of t h e v i r t u a l a n d its
effects. W i n d o w s 9 5 , t h e I n t e r n e t , t h e i n f o r m a t i o n s u p e r h i g h w a y s these t h i n g s are
already c o n s u m e d in a d v a n c e in d i s c o u r s e a n d fantasy. P e r h a p s it is a w a y of s h o r t c i r c u i t i n g t h e i r effects t o u n l e a s h t h e m i n this w a y i n t h e i m a g i n a t i o n . B u t w e are
n o t e v e n sure o f t h a t . A r e n ' t h y p e a n d b r a i n w a s h i n g t h e m s e l v e s p a r t o f t h e virtual?
W e d o n ' t k n o w . T h i s i s still t h e s t o r y o f t h e fly b a n g i n g its h e a d against t h e i n c o m p r e h e n s i b l e fact o f t h e w i n d o w p a n e .
' C e r t i t u d e d o e s n o t exist', says a p i e c e o f N e w Y o r k graffiti. B e n e a t h w h i c h has
b e e n w r i t t e n , ' A r e y o u sure?'
6 November

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1995

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