Imagine, for a moment, a life that was designed by Hollywood. Let's see ... what have we learned by watching movies and television?
We know for certain that there are aliens in the universe. There is no doubt about that. It is, in fact, very likely that they are here among us. Not to worry, however. Despite the fact that they have superior technology, we can always beat them. Always. Good to know.
It is interesting to learn the hierarchy of wisdom. Going by Hollywood's standards, ranking from wisest to most foolish, it breaks down something like this. Animals are at the top of the chain. They know things. They anticipate things. They are tuned to the universe. Definitely at the top. I think it is native Americans next. Despite the fact that history teaches that they were often war-like and violent, they have always been peace-loving, wise people. They understand the connection between Man and Nature and give Nature the reverence Nature deserves. Next is certainly children. Anyone at all under the age of 18, actually, is full of secret wisdom -- deep insights into life gathered from their years of living ... the fewer number of years, the wiser. Finally, at the bottom of the wisdom pile, is the adult human. They know hardly anything. Males least of all. Fathers, in fact, the least of the least. This we know from Hollywood.
We know that religion is bad, especially Christianity. It is, at best, ludicrous, something to laugh at. More likely it is really bad. It causes nothing but harm while deluding people into thinking there is a reason to hope. Foolish people. Religion is bad. Morality is stupid. Values are nonsense. And anyone who believes in that stuff doesn't actually think. Intelligent people know better.
Hollywood has all but eliminated the possibility of spiritual things. Oh, sure, we know there are exceptions. There are demons and ghosts and the people that can see them. And who can doubt that vampires and werewolves exist? But the world is almost exclusively a physical existence. We know that DNA can be extracted from a sample at a crime scene within minutes. We know that all problems can be solved ... usually in less than an hour ... okay, maybe two at the most. But there are neat solutions to everything and nothing really takes very long. We know that humans have the technology to insert a virus into an alien spacecraft computer, a virus sufficient to destroy an entire fleet of alien ships. Beauty is certainly not in the eye of the beholder ("We will tell you what is beautiful") and absolutely only skin deep ("Character doesn't really count. I mean, who really has character anyway?") Beauty, it seems, rarely actually happens in nature. Fortunately, surgery can fix that. Hey, there's an entire series on how plastic surgery can improve your life! And it's a good thing because sex is purely recreational ... and absolutely necessary for life. We know that marriage is a curse at best. Oh, sure, it can be a good thing when two people are "in love", but that only lasts for a very short time. (Makes sense, you know, since adults are the stupidest thing on the planet, especially when men are involved.) We know when it comes to "normal", there is no such thing. "Reality" is a small group of people living on remote islands competing for money. And while, according to some, more than half of America is obese, we know that the only really worthwhile people to know are impossibly thin, unusually beautiful, and typically rich. Oh, you're not? Too bad.
Oh, and one thing is certain beyond a doubt. There are conspiracies. They go as high up as they can go. Seriously, as high as they can go. There are family conspiracies where parents are against their children. There are government conspiracies that originate from places higher than the President. There are religious conspiracies that have lasted longer than the religion they are from. It is suggested that God Himself (who, if you recall, intelligent people are quite sure doesn't exist) is involved in His own conspiracy against humans. There are vast conspiracies affecting each and every one of us, utilizing technology that doesn't actually exist for ends that are never quite clear involving people who are always shadowy and evil ... although we all thought they were the good guys.
Let's see, then. From Hollywood we have learned that the universe is against us but we have the technology to defeat it. We know that values are meaningless, sex is just another game, and hope is a stupid thing to pursue. The people in charge are morons at best and conspirators at worst. So ... don't worry, be happy. It's all good.
2 comments:
Does Hollywood reflect society, or does society attempt to emulate Hollywood? Or a mixture of both? Would Hollywood make the movies it does, if we didn’t buy them?
The simple answer, of course, if one doesn’t like what Hollywood produces, is to not watch. The reason shows are cancelled, movies bomb, and sequels are not made.
But we are not willing to give up entertaining ourselves with what Hollywood produces—so it continues to produce what it does.
Well, there are three sides that I need to address. First, I think it is unavoidable that Hollywood has "shaded" its stories to make their point. There is no doubt, for instance, that their "historic movies" have been colored by modern values. And even if the time frame of the show remains the same, you'll find that the moral values reflected have changed. That speaks of an agenda.
Second, what concerns me more is the fact that people have seemed to forget that most of what we see is fiction. I read that some lawyers don't like to have people on their juries who have watched CSI-type shows because it gives them unrealistic perspectives. That's not Hollywood's problem. That's a problem with people not distinguishing between fact and fiction.
The third side is that, while you would think that "market forces" would drive Hollywood, studies have indicated, for reasons I don't understand, that it's not the case. For instance, so many "family" films (G or PG) make so much money while so many R rated films do not, but Hollywood doesn't respond to that market force. Odd, I know, but it appears to be the case.
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