Following up on our continuing dialogue about whether the moves are worth going to, and whether it suggests a certain detachment from cultural realities to brag about knowing nothing about them, the MNB reader who made the original I could give a rat's a** about movies and Hollywood that launched the conversation, weighed back in about something other readers said:
Love the comments about “ignorance of popular culture”. The truth is that I don’t buy into the hype and pedestals that these actors have been placed on. Add to that their political comments that disagree with 50% of the country, they are no different than anyone else holding a job.
I choose to lift up those that actually contribute to society and influence my life directly. Teachers, ministers, social workers and my hourly team members mean more to me and have enlightened my life more than any actor ever could. Rather than live in a make-believe world I choose to live in reality.
When I want to be entertained, I check out a few of the best movies ever made, Tommy Boy, Step Brothers and Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
Ah. The classics.
(Actually, Ferris Bueller is a legit classic of the genre. No argument there. But we part company on the others.)
I would just respond by saying two things.
First, people who love the movies aren't living in a make-believe world. That's as judgmental as saying that you are boring because you don't like the movies (which one MNB reader said, though I disagreed). They're just enjoying one element of our culture, which can, when done right, can illuminate important issues and facets of the human condition. Going to the movies can be part of the same human instinct for illumination and emotional enlightenment that prompts people to listen to music or go to an art museum. It isn't escapism. Far from it.
So maybe try to be a little less judgmental.
Second, you may not have noticed, but we live in a world where pretty much everybody disagrees with 50 percent of the country. I figure that there are folks on both sides of the divide from whom I can learn something, if I'm willing to be open to the experience.
We had a story yesterday about how AI assistants may be creating a lack of basic civility in kids, which prompted MNB reader Gary Harris to write:
I guess Amazon’s next upgrade to Alexa will go beyond providing information to perhaps providing feedback, especially using voice recognition to identify household members. “I’m sorry, Johnny, I didn’t hear a ‘please’ in your question. Would you like to try again?” “I’m sorry, Sally, that tone of voice is inappropriate. Please try again in 5 minutes.”
Brave new world out there…
I actually think that is a really good idea.
Jeff Bezos ... we're talking to you.
Please.
Love the comments about “ignorance of popular culture”. The truth is that I don’t buy into the hype and pedestals that these actors have been placed on. Add to that their political comments that disagree with 50% of the country, they are no different than anyone else holding a job.
I choose to lift up those that actually contribute to society and influence my life directly. Teachers, ministers, social workers and my hourly team members mean more to me and have enlightened my life more than any actor ever could. Rather than live in a make-believe world I choose to live in reality.
When I want to be entertained, I check out a few of the best movies ever made, Tommy Boy, Step Brothers and Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
Ah. The classics.
(Actually, Ferris Bueller is a legit classic of the genre. No argument there. But we part company on the others.)
I would just respond by saying two things.
First, people who love the movies aren't living in a make-believe world. That's as judgmental as saying that you are boring because you don't like the movies (which one MNB reader said, though I disagreed). They're just enjoying one element of our culture, which can, when done right, can illuminate important issues and facets of the human condition. Going to the movies can be part of the same human instinct for illumination and emotional enlightenment that prompts people to listen to music or go to an art museum. It isn't escapism. Far from it.
So maybe try to be a little less judgmental.
Second, you may not have noticed, but we live in a world where pretty much everybody disagrees with 50 percent of the country. I figure that there are folks on both sides of the divide from whom I can learn something, if I'm willing to be open to the experience.
We had a story yesterday about how AI assistants may be creating a lack of basic civility in kids, which prompted MNB reader Gary Harris to write:
I guess Amazon’s next upgrade to Alexa will go beyond providing information to perhaps providing feedback, especially using voice recognition to identify household members. “I’m sorry, Johnny, I didn’t hear a ‘please’ in your question. Would you like to try again?” “I’m sorry, Sally, that tone of voice is inappropriate. Please try again in 5 minutes.”
Brave new world out there…
I actually think that is a really good idea.
Jeff Bezos ... we're talking to you.
Please.
- KC's View:
