Monday, June 28, 2010
Amusing Ourselves with Visual Imagery
It is very clear what you need to watch a movie or a t.v. show: eyes. On page 7 of Amusing Ourselves to Death, Postman describes how a person's looks can determine whether or not they are successful or "amusing". I know for a fact that when I am watching a show, looks play a tiny role in whether or not I continue to watch. Whether they be extremely beautiful or outrageously odd looking, physical features that stand out keep me watching the show. However, those features are not the only things that keep my eyes glued to the screen. I also want to make sure the show is amusing. Am I being entertained? That is the main question I ask myself when watching a show. Is this show worth watching or could I be doing something better? As Postman says, looks play a big role in amusement. Many teenage girls, and even their mothers, have become addicted to the famous Twilight Saga. I have asked some of my lady friends why they liked it so much and I would get responses such as "Because Robert Pattinson is so hot" or "I wanna bake cookies on Taylor Lautner's abs." Half of these girls don't even know what the twilight saga is about. All they care about is what these characters look like. These twilight fangirls have proved Postman's point exactly. They could be talking about blowing up the United States, but because they look like an underwear model, they are "amusing." Now, the question is: Do some of our role models today hold that title because of looks or because they have actually made a difference?
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To answer your question in the best way I know how, I think role models today hold their titles because of looks. I'm sorry that our generation has come down to this. As I've used for many posts and comments, Miley Cyrus is not your appropriate "Role Model" per se, but she keeps making bank and gaining more little girl fans as time passes, and not because she's "making a difference" (because she obviously isn't doing anything significant) but because she's a gorgeous young woman who most young girls would either like to look like or act like. I am not a Twilight fan, but I have to agree that I will watch it because of Pattinson, BUT if he wasn't in the movie and it was just Taylor, I probably wouldn't watch it because I think he's ugly. And to add to Postman's statement "Looks play a big role", it is the truth 'til the end of time, have you heard of that new ABC Family program "Huge"? She doesn't have the right look for most of society because viewers consider her "fat" and I have to admit, that isn't appealing to me, especially on a T.V. show. BUT I haven't even watched the show or know the depth of it's meaning, so that makes me judgmental and possibly hypocritical! (Just as you say about the Twilight fans, Charles.) So I agree with your blog post for numerous reasons.
ReplyDeletePeople are superficial. No one would marry a person if they could get someone "better". If Beyonce didn't have a great singing voice, she would still have it "made" because of her amazingly stunning physique. If an average-looking woman and Beyonce had identical voices, the record company would sign Beyonce because she looks AND sounds great.
ReplyDeleteI don't think looks are completely in control of everything, though. Susan Boyle (who also had a boil on her face, I believe) was able to obtain fame through her singing ability, despite her not-so-stunning looks. Also, Megan Fox's new film "Jonah Hex" was a financial flop. Everyone knows that she's drop-dead gorgeous. How in the world was this movie not-able to sell? Aside from the public's stronger appeal to watch "Toy Story" or "Karate Kid", Fox is notorious for her ghastly personality. Also, the cowboy story of "Jonah Hex" didn't seem so appealing either. If you want my thoughts in a nutshell: LOOKS AREN'T EVERYTHING. Would you date the best looking person in the world if they would scream terrible things at you every night? In conclusion, looks play a massive part in our sense of judgment, but it is not our sole attribute of appeal.
We all say Looks aren't everything but honestly they are important as for entertainment, they're not most important but in some cases they do play a large role. I know my family has been a soccer fan forever and i remeber my first time watching a game was because i found cristiano ronaldo(soccer player) really hot, not because i wanted to get into the sport like eveyone else in my family, and to Charles, Twilight has always been out there. Ever since the book and in the book we didn't get to visually see the guys, but i do agree that it has gotten even more popular because of how the guys look. For Taylor who plays jacob to even be in the movie they made him work out to look as he does now. Movie directors and producers know what girls like to see and they knew by making Taylor super hot it would attract more girls that didnt even care for Twilight to begin with and make more money for them. And to top it off before the looks it is also a good and entertaining movie that even guys enjoy so this is why it's soo popular now. Its all done purposly and it works out great for them and for us too because girl find it worth it as well. Im not a crazy twilight fan but this is what i have also noticed, heard, and read on fb posts about the movie. I think to most of us well I'll speak for myself looks when it actually comes to something serious or important they dont matter as much. And to Mark i think everyone knows Megan Fox is goodlooking which is why if it doesnt seem like a good movie no one will care to watch it because you can go watch her in any other one of her movies. Also i never even heard of her movie so it may have also needed more advertisement. Thing is for Twilight that's also what is "in" right now, i havent heard Megan Fox talk since Transformers 2. Neil Postman states his point very clearly. This to me was the easiest chapter so far to read.
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