The real question is, of course, the question posed by Baudrillard: in postmodern thought: is the simulation good enough to approximate a new “real” experience?
For example, if Rohit reads four reviews of the book _Maus_ by Art Spiegelman, reads a Web discussion of the themes in the book, and talks about the book with friends who have read it, is that the same approximate experience as reading the book? The question you need to ask yourself, of course, is: does the new thing add something above and beyond the original. If “Seinfeld” uses a Junior Mint in a way it’s never been used before, and that adds value in a way Junior Mints alone never could have (in this case, the value being humor), that is a good thing. If Howard Stern simulates a crude experience (again, for the sake of humor), then again the value-added is good. VH1’s Pop Up Video adds a different kind of experience — adding information to an otherwise braindead source (music videos). And, in their own way, the rap stars you name add something to each of the songs they sample from. The new B.I.G. song is called “Mo Money Mo Problems”, and he uses the catchy riff from Diana Ross’s “
