So I have been trying like hell to procrastinate some long over due housework. To that end I have sought out anything and everything that will entertain me for longer than five minutes.
I have run out of my normal entertainment sources, so I am reaching out to new resources and sources. This has been a disappointing situation.
I have learned a few things.
First off, sitcoms and dramas come from two different universes. In sitcoms everything is about odd coupling. Contrast is key, whether it is in relation to hetero life mating or just plain mating. This is what has led to the rise of the fat slob guy with a heart of gold and a head of nickle being with the hot chick who is overly emotional.
The same holds true of any situation in a sitcom. Odd friends or polar opposite brothers, doesn't matter. The humour is all in the juxtaposition of diametrically opposed world views. It is similar to talking head shows like ye olde HANNITY and colmes.
In drama however, stereotyping is the key.
What I have noticed is not only the reason why America is fat, but also the reason why they are stupid.
For starters, let me point out that America is fat not because of their diet, but because all the thin people are dying violently. This is confirmed by the 37 network television shows based around cops and criminals. You see, only young attractive people, or slightly older, yet still attractive people are dying in record numbers.
These people are being killed by two groups. First, the other young, or slightly older attractive people who are in some way jealous, envious, or angry at the victims. These criminals are either sent to prison or killed by the police. Just so we are clear, more people are shot and killed by the police in Miami than are killed in Ontario in a year. Yeah, not kidding. I would have to track down the exact numbers, but Horatio Cain has killed more people in the last ten years than almost any other serial killer in the history of mankind. It's ok though, he is a force for justice. A sniper rifle, bazooka, knife, 9mm, wielding force for justice.
The other group of individuals killing the beautiful young people...mostly in bikinis or short shorts if they are female, or boxers if they are male, are unattractive weirdos. These are stalkers and crazy people, who by design are incredibly odd looking. They are deranged and have moles, look out! They have a slight deformity or are sick or have bad skin, and thus they kill.
In many cases they are killing because they are just not good enough.
As a side note, it should be pointed out that the stalkers who do not kill are always hot. Not kidding here people. My empirical data states that out of the 8 stalkers depicted in the shows I have watched recently, only one (from supernatural) has not been the killer or been completely hot. 3 were not the killer btw, and they were all hot, while only 1 who was a killer was slightly attractive.
I bring this up because all too often we are led around by the depictions of reality on the television. We are led to believe, or have our impressions of the world manipulated by the things we see. While in the minds of many social psychologists, real life experiences are far more influential than images in media, we cannot discount the media as a source for the way we see the world.
When every television show that is supposedly depicting real life events in a dramatic fashion builds a stereotyped view of criminals, we cannot help but feel this way in real life. We allow these images to seep in to our collective consciousness, and they do become reality for us, because we reinforce them with our behaviours and attitudes.
This is no different than the way we view romance through the lens of media. We base our understanding of love on what some writer fantasizes about. I honestly don't think you want the world to be based around my fantasies.
We tend to sit around waiting for the magical world of romance, while we allow good people, people who love us to walk right on by. We are inundated with images of what true love looks like. It looks like those douches from twilight.
Apparently it looks like a dude with smoldering eyes and pouty lips and shimmering skin and steroid created super figures.
It looks like perfect hair and bedroom eyes, and perky breasts.
We see these images constantly and it fills our heads not only with what beauty should look like, but what love should look like.
As much as I am willing to die for those I love, the option just doesn't present itself that often. I rarely, if ever, have to sacrifice my being for another person, but that is what we think love should be.
Love is never about sacrificing who you are for the other person, or even subjugating your will. Love is about celebrating the other person for everything that they are, be it good or bad. Love is about acceptance and caring, not sacrifice and tight abs.
Let me put it to you this way, if I showed up in your room tonight and watched you sleep, would you think that is love, or would you call the cops and get a restraining order? Right, so why then do we think of Edward as the embodiment of romance and love? Because he is hot? Because there is soft music playing in the background?
So if we go back to the original point of dramas and say, they depict people like me as petty jealous or crazy dudes who are so bent on our desires that we can no longer function as rational human beings, why am I not excused from partaking in the same behaviours? Oh cause it is just art and cinema, I get it.
But then why are we expected to live up to the example of the same characters put in a more positive light, and embodied in a better frame?
Some entertainment I truly enjoy, but for the most part, it is all just stupid.
Where does the stupid come from? It comes from shows that have the clue magically appear. It comes from the criminals being supposed super geniuses, yet they put their meetings and plans in their cell phones. It comes from telling me I need to conform to some sort of stereotype, or I need to search for a specific sign of love or beauty.
Stupidity comes from us accepting, as entertainment, the dumbing down, prettying up, over blowing of reality until what we see doesn't resemble anything we can expect in our lives ever.
Why do I say that? Because, since our lives are no where near the crazy surreality of television, we must accept words of comfort to meet our expectations.
Since I don't have to protect you from a pack of werewolves or vampires, and I do not have to kill your enemies, or shoot the bad guy to save your life, all I can do is say I will.
Here's the problem. It is easy to dupe you in to believing I love you. I can say all the right things. I can say that I will love you forever, and say that I would protect you from harm, and always bve there for you. I can say that you mean the world to me, just like they do in the movies.
Here's the rub. In the movies, Edward says these things, and then he does them. He says he will sacrifice everything for Bella, and then he does.
All I have to do is say them. And as long as I say what Edward says, and as long as I say what they say in all the books and movies, and look sincere when I do, you will think I love you.
Then something evil happens. Then I treat you like shit. Then I can make you feel self conscious, make you feel like you aren't as smart as me, or as kind, or like I know something you don't know. I can then treat you any way I see fit. Oh sure, at a certain point, reality meets head on with your desire and dream of what reality should be and conflict arises.
Then I have to soothe you with speech again.
This can continue for a long time, until eventually we fight constantly or you resign yourself to the new reality and stop seaking out that which you desire and settle for a water downed version of love that was based on nothing more than mutual attraction and hormonal releasing of chemicals in the brain.
You have thus been deprived of actual love. Love that was offered in other ways from other people who just didn't live up to what you expected because tv and movies told you what to expect from this life.
The same people who bring you the crime fighting Miami detective who kills more people than one should and still remain on the street are the same people who bring you Edward.
The same people who bring you cheerleaders with no heads are the same people that bring you studly werewolves.
The same people who bring you stupid criminals who give the police everything they need at the crucial moment in the show because they couldn't get the information any other way, are the same people who bring you a man with a ghetto blaster standing outside your window.
Real people can't live up to these standards, nor can you expect words to equal the sentiment in these shows.
All reality is, is a series of events where a person either proves they care about you and your feelings, or they make you feel bad. Sometimes, good people who care will make you feel bad accidentally, and they will apologize and try and fix it. Douches will intentionally hurt you and your feelings because they don't care enough about who you are to make a change in what they are, or to support you.
All I can do is stop using television as a source informing my opinions on the world...you know, other than the daily show....that is just truth.
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