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roarfireSILVER Member
comfortably numb
2,676 posts
Location: The countryside, Australia


Posted:
Okay I've been thinking for weeks about this, and finally built up the courage to post it. I'm sorry if this is stupid.

Do you think we wouldn't feel/react in certain ways television wasn't invented?

I mean say, you're on a date, and charasmatic flirtatious remarks are made that you usually see on movies, or physically seducing someone? Would people still be like that and say stuff in that context if it wasn't for us seeing it in the movies?

Or, would we grieve differently if it wasn't for movies? If we never saw someone on movies on TV screaming and holding a lost loved one in their arms, would we be like that instinctively?

Obviously the media can influence people to some extent, but would our entire behaviour be different if we never saw situations like that on TV?

I'm trying to think of other scenarios to help me.

How can directors portray how we react and behave? Have they have learnt from other movies they've seen or other programs?

I mean if there were no movies or television. How would we react to a death of someone for example. Would it be exactly the same as we see on movies?

I'm getting myself stressed because I'm struggling to explain it properly. I'm sorry. This sounds so stupid.

.All things are beautiful if we take the time to look.


onewheeldaveGOLD Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,252 posts
Location: sheffield, United Kingdom


Posted:
I think grieving is a cultural thing; for example, in some cultures it involves publicly gathering and wailing.

In a culture like ours where TV is a bit part of that culture and is used to communicate ideas, influence trends etc, TV is going to be a big influence.

That goes for media in general of course.

I'm not sure grieving is one of the main things influenced though, as grieving on TV isn't particuclarly common- I think stuff like romance, sex, drug attitudes, aims in life etc etc are going to be mainly affected as they're constantly portrayed by soap operas etc.

So, for example, I suspect one of the things that made the 'jerry springer' mentality possible was the pervasive influence of soap opera portrayals of relationships.

ie, in soap operas relationships aren't portrayed as being supportive, communicative, nurturing etc; but as publicly observed high-dramas based around lust, suspicion and betrayal.

"You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it."

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"Last of The Lancers"
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FlameSILVER Member
addict
435 posts
Location: VIC, MELB, Australia


Posted:
I think movies - well movie directors have become so good at portraying feeling.
For instance in the movie Saturday Night Fever where you see John Travolter walking down the street with the paint can in his hand and the song "Staying Alive" is playing - think of the feeling it provokes.
Then imagine watching that scene without the music of staying alive - its no way near as impressionable.

Without the music behind it the only impression we can make from it is his body language - happy or sad etc. But add music and we are being told what the feeling is.

Anyway dont know if this makes sense i just find it interesting smile

*In the car while Pink is playing on the radio*
Tristan aged 4 : "Mum is this Pink?"
Flame:"Yes mate this is Pink?"
Tristan:"Are you going to Pink?"
Flame:"Yes i am"
Tristan:"Cool well I'm going to BLUE" smile


snorkmember
52 posts

Posted:
Do you think plays, movies, books, songs, artwork make us react in certain ways if they weren't invented?

The most depressing and disturbing thing I ever read was the book 1984.
Not any movie or television show.

FlameSILVER Member
addict
435 posts
Location: VIC, MELB, Australia


Posted:
totally agree, and even if none of those were invented imagination or stories from fellow people could also be impressions.

*In the car while Pink is playing on the radio*
Tristan aged 4 : "Mum is this Pink?"
Flame:"Yes mate this is Pink?"
Tristan:"Are you going to Pink?"
Flame:"Yes i am"
Tristan:"Cool well I'm going to BLUE" smile


Flame BoyGOLD Member
veteran
1,508 posts
Location: Out, United Kingdom


Posted:
Well, when films and TV were first invented, all the stuff that was going to be in them was already happening (eg grieving, flirting), so the peeps that made the films would want them to be as real as poss so they would have their actors do what peeps do in real life......otherwise peeps would have watched the film and been really confused to see stuff that just doesnt happen!
biggrin

AAARRRGGGHHH!!! My giant stick broke!!! In two!!! My stick broke in two!!! ubbcrying


dafunkymahnmember
54 posts

Posted:
I think we have to look at where those TV ideas came from. I mean man was wooing and grieving long before the creation of the ole boob tube (sounds like an express subway train to a strip club in London!)

Look at literature just a century or two ago, there was raw passion and emotion there, TV and movies can reach a broader audience than a play write, who has to travel town to town just to get more people to see his play.

An interesting question would be has the entertainment industry, however old, influenced our behavior. I think that limiting it to TV and movies is only scratching the surface of a broader topic.

NOnactivist for HoPper liberation.
1,643 posts
Location: ffidrac


Posted:
i can understand where you're coming from there, but on the flipside, tv and movies are a reflection of a perception of our culture, so what they portray is a version of the world anyway... does that make sense? the one reflects the other and then reflects back on to itself...

and culturally you can say this is the case of all forms of entertainment - or all forms of culture - art, architecture, literature, music - all of it derives from the prevalent cultural paradigm of it's era - which is in turn a reflection of the generally accepted thinking amongst a certain "culture" or generation... there's a lot written about these things called 'paradigms' in cultural theory, so that's the area to look in if i'm making no sense! biggrin

but a simplified example of what i mean would be to say, that during a particular period of time in european culture, the generally accepted view of the world was that it was flat and so it stands to reason that there were no globes, and maps that you see (apart from mostly being incomplete) are also slightly distorted - and you could see that also in that context, it would make a lot of sense for hell to be below the earth and heaven above...? i don't know if these cultural ideas are necessarily a product of that particular idea, but hopefully you can see what i'm getting at...

so what was my point?.. oh yes, i think you are right, tv and movies might well affect the ways we do things on an individual level, but if it only reflects what is happening throughout culture, and so i don't know that the likelihood of this happening would be any greater....

Aurinko freedom agreement reached 10th Sept 2006

if it makes no sense that's because it's NOn-sense.


=Flashpoint=SILVER Member
Pasta of Muppets
2,722 posts
Location: in the interwebs..., United Kingdom


Posted:
IMHO, its usually a case of art reflecting life, rather than the other way around. I do think that mass media give many people an option to react otherwise than what we would normally, as in it gives us a taste of life outside our own sphere of influence. It also flavours our reactions to worldwide events. Would the response to the Asian Tsunami or even 9/11 be any different if the pictures were not shown in real time? Or in the immediate aftermath? I think yes!

However, as an actor, the only *major* problem with mass media is it tends to create trends. And in mass viewed, poorly written programmes, with one dimensional characters, although many ppl would turn off, might affect some who would react differently to certain situations.

The Hero effect? I think more people these days, when faced with a serious event, may try to be a hero, with usually disasterous consequences.

But I think, although some reactions may be affected, for the most part, the major emotions - joy, terror, grief and love (the magic 4 as I teach to my kids) never change. If we had a long running programme where the protagonist had no emotions or "unrealistic" reactions would not connect to the wide audience. How many people idolise Spock?

Back to you guys biggrin

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StoneGOLD Member
Stream Entrant
2,829 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
hi xabandonedx,



In answer to [quote} I mean say, you're on a date, and charasmatic flirtatious remarks are made that you usually see on movies, or physically seducing someone? Would people still be like that and say stuff in that context if it wasn't for us seeing it in the movies?[/quote}



Then, I would say people would still use clichés, regardless of whats on telly.

If we as members of the human race practice meditation, we can transcend our fear, despair, and forgetfulness. Meditation is not an escape. It is the courage to look at reality with mindfulness and concentration. Thich Nhat Hanh


PrometheusDiamond In The Rough
459 posts
Location: Richmond, Virginia


Posted:
I was recently discussing this very topic with my friend the State Trooper, and we were talking about how TV & movies affect real life. For example, because of shows like NYPD Blue, people have a preconceived notion of how police relate to civilians, and because of shows like C.S.I., juries demand DNA evidence and high-tech, eloborate investigations for every little crime. Entertainment is definately having an impact on us, whether we realize it or not.

Dance like it hurts; Love like you need money; Work like someone is watching.

Never criticize someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes. That way, when you DO criticize them, you are a mile away, and you have their shoes.


roarfireSILVER Member
comfortably numb
2,676 posts
Location: The countryside, Australia


Posted:
Thank you all for your imput. I'm glad people understand where I'm coming from smile

.All things are beautiful if we take the time to look.



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