|
| | Jul. 1st, 2008 @ 02:59 pm Broken-Down Figures |
|---|
Current Location: USC Current Mood:  contemplative Current Music: Read My Mind - The Killers I found this game yesterday, which is essentially a flash game that has you torture a person who is bound by ropes. The MSNBC article that I read about the game was quite interesting, but I did begin to think about this trend with torture movies and the current films that are coming out this summer.
For better of for worse, it seems as though many of the leading people in this summer's superhero flicks are tortured in one way or another. Characters are plagued by problems in their mundane life and in some cases, it seems as though being presented with super powers only serves to give people a new set of challenges. From the new Batman, to Iron Man and the Hulk, and Wesley Gibson, and Hancock, all of the characters coming out seem flawed in some fashion. What does this trend say about our thoughts as Americans and the culture in which we live? Are we fed up with having the perfect superhero come along and save us and tell us that everything will be all right? Have we rejected that reality because we have been exposed to so much in the past years that we cannot believe in that sort of thing any longer?
Although I'm not a movie critic (or a Critical Studies major) or even a film buff, there has been an interesting trend in the past few years with movies. What has changed in the viewing audience to make horror/gory movies so popular? Saw, Hostel, The Strangers...it used to be that horror movies only came out around Halloween (or maybe this is just remembering wrong as I wasn't allowed to watch rated R movies when I was younger)? Now, it seems that the viewing audience is thirsting for more pain and suffering with scary films being released around the calendar.
I'm sure that there's some discussion to be had about our underlying need to want to see people being tortured while remaining comfortably in our theater chair or on our couch. After all, we don't have to get our hands dirty, nobody is really getting hurt, and it's all just entertainment, right? I wonder, though, how our current cinema choices reflect the way in which we view ourselves? I've always heard that art is supposed to comment on society, so what are these films saying? Do we want to be saved? Do we want to be saved by people who are like us? Do we really want the anti-hero? Are superheroes supposed to solve all of our problems or are they just ultimately people?Have we just become to savvy tor jaded to accept that someone can be perfect? Or is the tide turning as GI Joe comes out in a year--or maybe these people will be flawed as well.
On the one hand, we seem to want to be in control but we also must respond to being powerless (do we identify with it?). With the superheroes, we can get to experience a sense of invulnerability but also a sense of internal torture. Maybe we also respond to being powerless in comparison to these mythic figures? And then, with the torture, we can see parts of ourselves in both inflicter and victim. Vicariously, we get to experience both sides of the spectrum and then go laugh it off with some ice cream after all is said and done.
As the MSNBC article notes, what happens when Americans are immersed in a world that uses (and might or might not condone) torture? How does this shape our outlook on human rights and our expectations for treatment of those that we consider "others" or "enemies"? I am by no means suggesting that viewing violent movies, torture, or playing video games is going to make us go out and want to kill and/or maim somebody, but what does exposure to these elements do to broaden our range of acceptable behavior? Instinctively, I feel that most people will say that torture is wrong, but then the question becomes, "What constitutes torture?" If you see hookers getting beaten up and their money stolen, does a seed get planted that maybe that behavior might be acceptable? Or, even scarier, what if people compare themselves to ultra-violent acts, saying, "Well, what I'm doing is wrong/bad, but it's nowhere near flaying someone while he or she is still alive."
I think the thing that worries the most about all of this, though, is that with video games, movies, and the flash game, are that there are no real consequences for the actions taken. And sure, killers might be caught or killed themselves and you face death penalties in video games (or public humiliation), but when the dust settles, is there really a consequence for blowing somebody else up? I don't think that it's the responsibility of the entertainment industry to insert messages about why killing is bad into their media, but how are kids supposed to learn that the behavior that they are undertaking in this virtual world has very tangible consequences in the real world? |
|  |  | |  |
| Jun. 29th, 2008 @ 11:29 pm Going for Gold...or Just Happy to Be Here? |
|---|
Current Mood:  curious Current Music: Dream Catch Me - Newton Faulkner So I recently read this, which made me think that I should start the blog again. Lots of thoughts have been floating through my head lately, from the TV show "From G's to Gents" and what this says about the role of minority men in America (specifically Black men and their integration into mainstream American culture), wishing to see "Wanted" although it looks like a horrible movie, and the fact that NBC is still using the 1996 Olympic Theme behind all of their coverage.
Speaking of the Olympics, I did happen to see two World Records broken (and would have seen a third, except for a technicality) in the span of 24 hours. It's at times like this that I wonder about the magic of sports. Normally, I don't really care to watch many events, but I think that it's always good to be reminded that there are things that transcend an individual's interest and are able to draw very different people together in pursuit of a common goal. How can you not cheer on an athlete who is scheduled to do something faster or better than anybody has ever done before? I felt the surge of pride and joy as I vicariously got to be part of an experience that was ground-breaking. I seem to forget that, in part, this is the magic that the Olympics hold for many people.
I always wonder about the athletes, though. Is it enough to just go to the Olympics and to represent your country (which surely is a feat in and of itself) or, if you are competing at that level, is it always a disappointment when you don't win? I remember the huge thing during Sydney was to see Islamic women compete (and to see one covered was fantastic and heart-warming) and the mere presence of these women undoubtedly pushed the door open a little wider for people to follow. But what about those athletes who aren't breaking down major barriers? I can't imagine that it's not a great experience to represent your country on the world stage, but what is it like to compete when you feel as though you have a very small chance of winning? |
| | | | |
| | |
| | Apr. 28th, 2008 @ 10:18 pm Oh What a Tangled Web... |
|---|
Current Mood:  lethargic Current Music: Snow Patrol - Signal Fire Gossip Girl is dealing with college admission and the time-honored ritual of taking the SAT. I'm not entirely sure what the future holds for the test but it's interesting that the event is so ingrained in our American culture and awareness. I wonder if the thing is in part a rite of passage where American youth mark a period in their life by undergoing a stressful/traumatic experience together?
The thing that I find fascinating, however, how the girls are trying to go after one of their own in an attempt to raise their chances of getting into a school. I guess I can understand how the sentiment might arise in high school students but now that I have some perspective on the issue it seems so pointless. I can't blame the students because their world view is limited to the things that they know and how would one expect them to understand things on a nationwide scale? For the record, though, it doesn't work that way! I mean, it's not like one would go down the list and automatically take the "next best" person from a given school group, although I can understand how one might feel that bringing other people down might make one stand out more in a given population. The part that I find ridiculous, however, is the thought that bad test scores ON ONE SITTING will take a person out of the running--it's not like the stereotypical Asian smart girl couldn't take the SAT exam at a later date when she had not just been traumatized by her ex-boyfriend.
I'm also not sure how to feel about the whole Nate/Vanessa thing. I'm not sure if it's being overly sensitive to the upper-class guy swooping in and "saving" the girl or is it more a case of somebody who has had advantages empowering someone who might not have had as much opportunity growing up? I'm hoping that it's the later but I'm afraid that it's the former.
I also watched Spider-Man 3 today thanks to Netflix. Included on the DVD was the Snow Patrol video for "Signal Fire ," which I had loved when it first came out and still love. I think that this video, for me, successfully combined a recap of the first two movies and had the added charm of children. I have to say I normally don't feel anything special with kids but this whole thing was cute and still managed to contain a strain of sadness and longing. I found it so interesting that the video kept touching on what it was like to be an outsider, or at the very least someone who was not the hero. I guess that much of the reason why I like the video might have to do with my affinity for the song itself? I had some issues with the movie but I guess I should just learn to accept that this stuff is taking place in an alternate world that may have some different rules/logic. |
| | | | |
| | |
| | Apr. 22nd, 2008 @ 12:00 am Currently in Love With... |
|---|
|
|  |  | |  |
| | |
|
content
exhausted
