 of acting in social interactions when we want to convey attributes we do not naturally possess -- viz. a robust style of delivery to mask uncertainty, an outward show of calm that often conceals an inner turbulence, a mask of great concern when we are in fact totally disinterested. We project those traits that we believe are expected of us in social situations -- for instance, in genial exchanges with people we actually dislike, or by exaggerating our skills in a job interview where we have few or none. Instinctively, we know how to mask antisocial characteristics by portraying traits that are deliberately chosen. We do not have to rehearse these actions; we borrow them, usually unconsciously, from gestures, expressions and behavior that we have derived from books, films, plays, or television. We could simply attribute these traits to "human nature," but the specific selection of posture, diction, and attitude are often derived from "performances" we have assimilated from an exposure to a bevy of social artifacts. Professional actors employ fakery to project their characters. "Real people," beyond the range of esthetics, do exactly the same thing -- their behavior being just as "put on" as that of professional actors. We all poach attitudes, characteristics, even language from professional players, just as the players poach insight, attitudes and language from the performing arts.
But what happens when all or most of one's behavior is purloined from outside sources? Is that still "acting"? Is it theft? Is it homage to make believe? Is it encroachment from the media and simply an extension of "entertainment"? Or is it a kind of dishonesty -- the kind of behavior that labels one as being insincere, a faker, a phony?
As you can see, I am trying to define differences and similarities rather than projecting a thesis. Rather than determine some penetrating truth based on fiction, I am simply pointing out similarities and wondering if, as the Bard would have it, "All the world is a stage and all the men and women merely players." Or would it be more accurate to say: "All the world is an interaction between artists and the general public in which the latter, consciously or not, appropriate behavior, attitudes, language and stereotypes which they believe to be their own."
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