Pretending the World

To pretend means to "lay claim" – to stretch forward and take hold of what we want, as if it already existed, or were already ours. To pretend is thus to call forth another reality and create truth through the power of conviction alone. It is fashionable to ridicule performative gestures as ineffective posturing. Yet this is literally the only way that new societies come into being. 

This issue of Real Review is dedicated to the current mood of Pretending the World.