Sucker!
There’s no contesting the theory that the media affects the way minds (young and old) see and perceive things, the values they imbibe, and the thoughts they think. The power is so immense that it’s sometimes scary. Add to that the very real possibility….no, the probability that the message being sent out by the media is wrong, and we’re just sitting ducks, waiting for our houses of cards to fall down all around us.
We religiously watch Sex and the City, convinced that we’re watching a series about four independent successful women, who are secure in their singledom. I am a single woman, and rarely have I seen more desperate women. Women who try and distract themselves with all the toys they can lay their hands on, while all the time keeping one eye open for the One….or anyOne, desperately waiting for a sign that will tell them they won’t die alone with their cats. And the men, (often married, younger, fat, bald, ugly, unsuccessful notwithstanding) secure in their knowledge of womankind, saunter past, knowing that despite all their flaws, they definitely won’t be dying alone with or without the cats. The sad thing about these fictional women (and I hope they are fictional, or else this would all be just too depressing) is that they have deluded themselves into believing they’re taking the high road; and are now merrily prancing about on our television screens, convincing us of the same.
And they haven’t spared the kids either. Take, for instance the film, Chronicles of Narnia- Prince Caspian The heroic story of Narnia is in reality a story of an arrogant foolhardy young boy who is determined to save a kingdom that needs saving. He has the right intentions, but is immature, and saves face only because of Azlan, who comes roaring in and rescues all the good guys. So, in effect, badly laid plans and misplaced faith in one’s abilities come across as forgivable if the heart is in the right place. Now that’s a lesson we certainly don’t want our kids picking up. Because in the real world, Azlans are hard to come by.
I don’t know how we got here, but something needs to be done to untwist it all. I fully support complexity and freedom of expression as well as perception, but this is just twisted and dangerous in its impact. As is the frightening prospect of permanently changing mind sets through conditioning. After all, as a Narnian once said to a bunch of kids masquerading as adults, “Treat someone like a dumb animal long enough; that’s what he’ll turn into.”
PS: All opinions are based on cinematic versions, not literary ones.
We religiously watch Sex and the City, convinced that we’re watching a series about four independent successful women, who are secure in their singledom. I am a single woman, and rarely have I seen more desperate women. Women who try and distract themselves with all the toys they can lay their hands on, while all the time keeping one eye open for the One….or anyOne, desperately waiting for a sign that will tell them they won’t die alone with their cats. And the men, (often married, younger, fat, bald, ugly, unsuccessful notwithstanding) secure in their knowledge of womankind, saunter past, knowing that despite all their flaws, they definitely won’t be dying alone with or without the cats. The sad thing about these fictional women (and I hope they are fictional, or else this would all be just too depressing) is that they have deluded themselves into believing they’re taking the high road; and are now merrily prancing about on our television screens, convincing us of the same.
And they haven’t spared the kids either. Take, for instance the film, Chronicles of Narnia- Prince Caspian The heroic story of Narnia is in reality a story of an arrogant foolhardy young boy who is determined to save a kingdom that needs saving. He has the right intentions, but is immature, and saves face only because of Azlan, who comes roaring in and rescues all the good guys. So, in effect, badly laid plans and misplaced faith in one’s abilities come across as forgivable if the heart is in the right place. Now that’s a lesson we certainly don’t want our kids picking up. Because in the real world, Azlans are hard to come by.
I don’t know how we got here, but something needs to be done to untwist it all. I fully support complexity and freedom of expression as well as perception, but this is just twisted and dangerous in its impact. As is the frightening prospect of permanently changing mind sets through conditioning. After all, as a Narnian once said to a bunch of kids masquerading as adults, “Treat someone like a dumb animal long enough; that’s what he’ll turn into.”
PS: All opinions are based on cinematic versions, not literary ones.
posted by Mojo | 3:10 AM
2 Comments:
Hmmm, what shall I say. Good part is that men don’t get to die with the cat.
On a more serious note very keen observation and also aptly put. But the problem, my fair lady, is that freedom once tasted is hard to give up; so it's a tad tough to walk the talk. Ergo, ostentation flounces.
A very wise and pragmatic piece of writing.Wisdom is literally dripping from every single word of this writing.I appreciate the concern and i applause for the audacity of countering it.
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