It’s said that art imitates life. This is true, but more accurately: art imitates the extremes of life. That’s what we call a dramatic portrayal. I have the sneaking suspicion many people think they're living in one.
If so, what we have is people using their life to imitate art that imitates life. The results are not drama, but melodrama, and not humor, but obnoxiousness. I have thought that people were “acting their parts” in all areas of my life. They can do it in any situation, as long as it has been dramatized. There’s a well known phenomenon of criminal acts that imitate movie and TV crimes. If that happens, I think it's very likely that people are doing the same imitations when they’re at their jobs, with their object of affection, or spending time with their friends.
And why wouldn’t they? Almost every dramatic portrayal, unless cautionary, ends with justice, life-affirmation and happiness. So, the monkey brain thinks that if it acts like that charming fellow in the romantic comedy, then a beautiful woman who is not interested in him will eventually change her mind and fall in love with him forever. And if the bank-robbers you saw on TV managed to walk in a bank, act real mean and walk out with cash, why couldn’t you do it?
Because of harassment laws and dye-packs, respectively. Much of the neurotic, ridiculous behavior in drama is not only not pragmatic, but distasteful if attempted in real life. The best jobs are the ones where you are left alone, not bombarded with thoughtless one-liners and practical jokes. The best romantic relationships are between people with mutual respect and individual personal lives. The crimes people get away with are the small ones.
When the TV is off, when the book is closed, your life is not a challenge to rival it. Your life is simple and not as stupid and wild. I’m very sorry.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment