Sunday, January 8, 2012
Movies Dictate Societal Norms
You know
what I have noticed? I have noticed on
my time on this Earth that movies and TV have a lot to do with the molding and
shaping of societal norms. We have a
tendency to be like the Thermians of Galaxy Quest. We believe
what we see to be the truth instead of a story that is meant to entertain.
If you are old enough to have watched, or like black and
white, movie classics you may remember how pretty much everyone in the movies
smoked cigarettes. Nowadays characters
in the movies and television rarely smoke.
And if they do it is usually the bad boy or girl partaking in the
nicotine.
You know why that is?
It is because back in the 50s and 60s smoking was hip and cool. That was before “they” figured out that it
kills people. Now that “we” know how bad
it is for us it is pretty much omitted from the “in crowd” thing to do.
One
really big shift that I have seen in the movies is that the implication that it
is okay to be in a relationship, about to get married and chuck it all for the
sake of a one night stand or a “friend” who suddenly discovers that they love you (or the person who is about to
be wed).
When in
the world did it become okay to screw someone over that has done nothing
wrong? How is it okay to be a slacker
and still have a job? Why is it
acceptable to walk around with no real clue of what is going on around
you? When did become a goal to be
mediocre?
There are
a lot of good things that come from the movies but what I have also noticed is
the serious lack of fun, entertaining, thought provoking or lighthearted
movies. Could it be that comedies are
really hard to get right?
Labels: belief systems, cheating, smoking in the movies
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