Living in a Postmodern World

The postmodern world which we live in today complicates life in many unseen ways. Postmodernism is the idea that all truths or perceptions are relative to an individual and his or her life experiences, as well as the media which he or she is exposed to. One person may watch a TV show and think that they should be just like the main character and try to live their life, while another person may not like the show, which would then influence them to act, look, and strive towards goals which are totally different than that show. Both ways the media influences the person who is absorbing it, and the realization of the influence it has on a person is postmodern. In this society, you are driven by what you see, which is what often creates stereotypes. However, at the same time, you may perceive these commonalities throughout the media to be stereotypes, so postmodernism is also trying to break stereotypes.

Postmodernism is fundamentally paradoxical in this way. It embraces the idea that there is not a single principle, value, or idea beyond questioning, which includes itself. By living in a postmodern society, we are taught to question all values ideas which are presented to us, however, if we are to truly follow this principle, we should not forget to question whether or not we should question everything, which truly emphasizes the key principle of postmodernism. From a postmodern standpoint, there never would be a right or wrong.