"Hollywood killed us all."

[reetpleat]

I might have to agree in some ways. But in a big picture way. With the invention of the radio, it was not long before Hitler, Stalin, and to an extent, american politicians, even FDR jumped in to use this powerful media to sway public opinion or promote propaganda, depending on your point of view.

Hitler and Stalin were both notable for seeing big possibilities. Stalin i think, set up radios in all the communes, hooked to loudspeakers.

My point is, since then we have developed even more powerful media, that is even more influential. I will include the internet.

Well, right behind the politicians, the corporate and business world also saw the power and possibilities, and they both pump billions of dollars into using them.

So, is it possible that in this day and age, media is just to powerful, whatever that means?

Will true discourse and individual thought even be what it was? Will the economic and political world ever be truly democratic? (If it ever was) will our lives ever be free of the taint of powerful people and organizations who want to tell us what to think and seem to be fairly successful?

SO, in that regard, media may have killed us all. Is this what Holden, or JD meant? I don't know. But if it was, then I would have to consider him pretty wise.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

... and who opened the eyes of many to the hypocrisies of the postwar '40s and '50s.


"Catcher in the Rye" was my grandmother's favorite book, BTW.


.

It's my favorite book, too. It helped me tremendously when I was 13 and surrounded by lots of phonies at my NYC prep school. I used to visit the Museum of Natural history alone but never felt lonely because Holden made it cool. There's more but that book by far, if anything, saved this young impressionable girl.

 

[reetpleat]

It is a little ironic that the guy who was so dead set against "phonies" became the template for every disaffected, rebellious, too cool to conform teen that has come after. not saying that all teen rebellion is a bad thing, but it seems to have become pretty much the anti trend trend for the lat fifty years. I have no use for the rebellious phonies either.

This is the reason I didn't love the book. Holden Caufield seemed kind of annoying and too concerned about himself for my tastes. Spoiled little rich white east coast prep school kid.

This is my objection to alot of literature of the period. It is way too focused on the class of the writers, east coast, suburban or urban, upper class or upper middle class white folks. I just didn't relate much.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

It is a little ironic that the guy who was so dead set against "phonies" became the template for every disaffected, rebellious, too cool to conform teen that has come after. not saying that all teen rebellion is a bad thing, but it seems to have become pretty much the anti trend trend for the lat fifty years. I have no use for the rebellious phonies either.

This is the reason I didn't love the book. Holden Caufield seemed kind of annoying and too concerned about himself for my tastes. Spoiled little rich white east coast prep school kid.

This is my objection to alot of literature of the period. It is way too focused on the class of the writers, east coast, suburban or urban, upper class or upper middle class white folks. I just didn't relate much.

For starters, I wasn't upper middle class; I was a scholarship kid from the wrong side of the tracks, yet I could relate to him. Also, the nature of being an adolescent is to be self-absorbed. As for Holden Caulfield being a template in the way you describe, I see that being attributed more to James Dean.

 

[Paisley]

As much as I loved to read when I was a kid, I couldn't finish this book. I didn't like Holden and I couldn't find a plot.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

This is what i remember the most about the book:

‘Ackley.’ He was one of these very, very tall round-shouldered guys — he was about six four — with lousy teeth. The whole time he roomed next to me, I never even once saw him brush his teeth. They always looked mossy and awful, and he damn near made you sick if you saw him in the dining hall with his mouth full of mashed potatoes and peas or something.”

 

[p51]

When everything feels like the movies, you bleed just to know you're alive

-“Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls

You don't want to fall in love, you want to fall in love in a movie.

-Rosie O'Donnell, "Sleepless in Seattle"
Before movies, I guess people had unrealistic views of life through books and poetry. But yes, movies have probably given us all a seriously messed up view of what life should be like and given us all a level of disappointment overall we might not have had otherwise.

 

[Cigarband]

Kick a man when he's down, eh?

If you can't say anything nice about somebody, wait till they're dead. Don Rickles

 

[sportell]

But I think the difference is the need for so-called pushing of the envelope: crassness has become an end in itself rather than a side-effect, and there's an accompanying note of real cruelty mixed in. People had to do humiliating stunts on "Truth Or Consequences" in 1947 in order to win a set of dishes or a deep-freeze, but there wasn't this vicious drooling-jackal sensibility on the part of the audience that wanted to see them fail as miserably as possible.

Thank you. Quiz shows and silly stunts were a popular theme in earlier times. But you rooted for the person. Now we have shows like "Cops", where we watch the scum of America act like scum. We watch shows like "Survivor" and see how underhanded and back-stabbing people can be and we enjoy it. I actually saw a commercial on Lifetime or one of those channels when I visited the States one summer. It was for a new reality show where families tried to get their alcoholic relative or friend help. But all I saw was a drunk trying to get their 15 minutes of trashy fame. They were not trying to get help at all. I grew up with an alcoholic parent. The last thing I need to see is a drunk acting like trash because they don't really want help. I cannot understand how any of this is escapism or entertainment. Unless the viewers are those who have nothing better in their lives to do and like to watch others and sit back and think how much better they are.

As for the happy Hollywood ending, I still love those. I enjoy "weird" movies that are artsy, but I like my happy ending with the man and girl getting together. As for setting us up for false expectations, just try to keep an open mind. I was with a dork for many years who treated me poorly. I finally found a man out of the movies. He does things for me around the house, simply because he loves me and cares about me. And like many handsome heroes, he has his flaws. Just learn to accept the flaws and be happy for the good things. I feel like I am truly getting my happy Hollywood ending.

 

[Richard Warren]

Well, it sure seems to be trying (to kill us all).

 

[Chas]

No, not you. Just your brains- critical thinking goes against the corporate interest; they want obedient worker ants and consumers. They want to be able to deaden people's intellect with their formulaic prepackaged rubbish.

I quote my late father: "Turn that god-damned thing off and go outside. It's a beautiful day!"

 

[scottyrocks]

Media and society seem to be in a symbiotic relationship. Someone gets an idea based on who knows what - personal experience, discussions with others, the ability to ascertain what people 'want' - and something new is created.

It happens every few years. MTV For both music videos and The Real World). Hill Street Blues. Raiders of the Lost Ark. Marilyn Monroe. Elvis Presley. All these people and things, and many more, began genres that swelled beyond their original proportions.

They do so because they strike a powerful chord in large amounts of people. And it is further driven by money and fame.

As time passes, the mental complexion of society changes. Younger generations embrace and adopt the 'new stuff' and the elders look at them like they have three heads.

When I was young, and long hair on men, and concert t-shirts, blue jeans, and Frye boots became big, our parents didnt get it. Now, I look at suburban kids emulating urban music and I dont get it, as dont many I people my age.

The same concept can be applied to levels of rudeness. Im amazed at some fo the stuff I see on TV, and in society today. When I a kid, adults were not terribly fond of the way we, as young adults, conducted ourselves, but I see way less wrong with it than the way I see young adults behaving today. Or maybe its just whats put in front of us on the tube.

Its an endless cycle, and its not gonna stop anytime soon.

 

[Talbot]

No, not you. Just your brains- critical thinking goes against the corporate interest; they want obedient worker ants and consumers. They want to be able to deaden people's intellect with their formulaic prepackaged rubbish.

I quote my late father: "Turn that god-damned thing off and go outside. It's a beautiful day!"

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap