Left Behinds: Tai Shan in trouble

Monday, December 12, 2005

Tai Shan in trouble

Tai Shan has noticed his reflection in the window. He quietly looks at himself and approaches the glass. We think from the angle that his reflection must disappear, as he then loses interest. When he is near the glass he does not notice the excitement he causes on the other side. Someone has dubbed his photographing visitors the "pandarazzis." (link)

Lacan wasn't being entirely metaphorical about the Mirror Stage. An infant forms an image of the I by identifying with the external image of itself--potentially in the reactions of its mother, but also very likely by seeing itself in a literal mirror.

Now imagine what would happen to your ego-image if every time you got close enough to examine your reflection it was replaced by a bunch of camera-wielding tourists.

Exactly. You would wind up retarded.

Tags: Tai Shan, mirror stage, lacan, pandas, national zoo, biology

4 Comments:

At 11:23 PM, Solomon Grundy said…

Aw.

I don't quite get the photoshopped blunt in his mouth. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar?

Btw, I read on the Psychology Today web site (link frustratingly out of service, sorry readers, you'll just have to trust me) that infants whose mirror stage is interrupted by the papa-(or panda-)razzi get stuck in this weird simian stage where they're overly aggressive (even bellicose) and dissociated from what others in their communities perceive as reality.

http://folk.uio.no/johaner/jpegs/bushmonkey3.jpg

Technically speaking, only borderline retarded.
At 11:28 PM, Solomon Grundy said…

Oh that would have been better if the image had shown up. You get the idea though.
At 12:02 AM, Antid Oto said…

Heh.

And it's totally not photoshopped. That's a piece of bamboo. I like it cause he's just walking around with food hanging out of his mouth.
At 11:46 PM, Solomon Grundy said…

You mean I have more in common with him than just our general body type?

note to readers: that's a joke. i'm like a total gazelle type.

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Monday, December 12, 2005

Tai Shan in trouble

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