Anger. Rage. You want to talk about what really ticks me off? Try living in a society where a flawed, hopeless worldview is constantly shoved down the throats of the next generation by the most powerful propaganda machine ever created (and no, I'm not talking about McDonald's. We'll save that for another time).
Allow me to explain. We live in a media-dominated world. We are constantly bombarded with messages telling us how to live, how to act, what to wear, eat, say, think and do. It's everywhere. Children are being influenced by the media at a younger and younger age. They are being taught everything they know by the most corporate arm of society. Modern media is controlling the western world, and is forcing a system of values and principles on a generation that is searching for guidance. We are finding nothing but empty promises and blind hope in the answers.
Today's media is perfection's home. Of course, everyone wants the nice home, the great family, the white picket fence. But does this ever happen in reality? No, of course not. Life isn't perfect. To paraphrase Thomas Hobbes, life is poor, nasty, cold, brutish and empty. The only place we ever find perfection and a shining sense of optimistic contentment is in the modern media. If we follow through this in a simple, linear manner, we run into a huge philosophical dilemma. If everything we learn (perfection from the media) is not possible in real life (and if you try to tell me that life is perfect, you're more delusional than the people who churn out today's debilitating mass media), then how can we expect to raise a generation of intelligent, realistic humans?
Granted, much of the perfection in the media can't be argued against. Advertisements are what they are, and if it's someone's job to create a false image of society, that's not my issue. That argument has been worn out, and no one will ever reach a practical agreement. But there are aspects of the media that, while not intentionally harmful, are having a devastating effect on today's youth. Examples bound endlessly, but I will focus on one small concept. Much of what children learn today, at least from a practical, informal standpoint, is based on what they see and hear. And given today's societal standards for information gathering practices, I would reason that we have cause to be highly concerned. Translation: Kids get everything from TV and movies, and it's warping their fragile little minds to the point of no return. Corporations like Disney have been churning out sentimental, feel-good movies for decades. By today's media standards, children are concretely learning that, simply by believing and dreaming enough, they can do anything they want. This certainly seems like a noble message, but if we are taking it at face value, and applying it to our lives in a practical manner, this creates a gaping hole between the fantasy world of the media and real world of today. But hey, it's Hollywood. That's what it's all about, right?
Hollywood. I guess that's where it all starts. Just flip to any Disney owned channel- there's enough peppy, happy optimistic cheer to nauseate the most hardened sailor. Take, for example, Disney's High School Musical, or any of their modern Cinderella adaptations (I can't even begin to count how many there are- and I took Calculus. I can count pretty high). Every good guy wins, every villain loses, there's no pain, sorrow or consequences, and everything tidily wraps up just before the commercial break. Sure, that's fine- for entertainment. But today's children are so wrapped around this concept that their lives can be just as perfect as their Disney heros' that they have lost focus on reality of the situation- that success takes hard work, patience, dedication. And sometimes, you just don't win. But I guess that is a lesson that's too painful for our children to learn. We wouldn't want to hurt them, would we? So instead, we hide them behind a cloud of false optimism and meaningless media nonsense.
I was never one for sentimentality. Practical, applied logic has been my proven approach for over eighteen years, and it has served me well. To be frank, that clichéd approach of "following your heart" and seizing the day with blind optimism can only lead to the bitter, empty reality of one too many crushed dreams and far too few goals met. Sure, go ahead, chase after your dreams, hoping that Disney's "if you believe, you can succeed" mentality will carry you through your next crisis. After all, it's only a matter of time before your bank starts taking "dreams" for the mortgage payment.
Hey, Hollywood can do it. Why can't you?
Love it, Robby!
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