It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.

Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.

Thank you.

 

Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.

 

The Nihilism of The Walking Dead

page: 1
18
<<   2  3  4 >>

log in

join
share:

posted on Oct, 24 2016 @ 10:56 PM
link   
What did this season premiere of The Walking Dead teach us? That Human beings - at least those living in the west - no longer appreciate living in a world free from insanity - in fact, we simulate it to the most gruesome extreme in our T.V. shows.

There is something insanely obscene and dementing in wanting this sort of element in your T.V show - it is also, I think, a profound misreading of Human affectivity, and so, will no doubt cost the Walking Dead creators millions of fans who do not think this emotional trauma is worth the enjoyment.

In any case, I find myself contemplating the vanity - the stupidity - of the need. Why the need? Why don't people contemplate these things - what is this disastrous love-affair with the gory and brutal - to prove that it exists? Yes - and.....ITS A HORRIBLE THING! It's s if there were a break in their awareness between how things can be and how things are, and how thankful we should be not to endure or know such horrors. When the brain-mind interfaces with such horrors, "callouses" can form around the mind. Indeed, if you were not devastated by the gratuitous brutality of yesterdays Walking Dead premiere, you are not in touch with normal human emotions. To have not just one character, but two characters, whom you've grown emotionally attached to - and one of them in particular, a mainstay of the show, to not just get smashed across the face, but to watch him, now literally crushed in the head, blurt out a word of love - this does not seem worth it or worth the display.

What the hell is wrong with society that this sort of brutality can be put on TV and tolerated by its audiences? What is the point or the purpose? To shock? What if you shock, and, also annoy? Even more to the point, were advantaged - we are safe from such horrors, whereas people in other countries really are subject to witnessing the horror and trauma of a human skull - the storehouse of consciousness - mutilated.

I found yesterdays premier extraordinarily and profoundly gratuitous. Sheer pointlessness



posted on Oct, 24 2016 @ 11:06 PM
link   
a reply to: Astrocyte

S*F for a well thought out thread!

My woman has a 17 y/o daughter. We were discussing the episode this morning and she said she was traumatized. The whole thing, from the psychological breaking down of Rick from Neegan, to the group looking on being hopelessly unable to do anything, to the graphic violence portrayed.

On one hand, I didn't desire to watch it again. I will later in the season but I will not in the recent future. I usually will watch them a few times to see if I missed anything.

On the other, I was raised in the 80's. I'm no stranger to seeing extreme movie violence. It must be distinguished within each mind that what they are watching is not real. I get it that folks get wrapped up in the story and its characters. They are vested in them, it is the 7th season after all. Still they are not actual acts or violence.

That is what I conveyed to her this morning. She didn't know how to respond and thought of me as insensitive. Now I've seen real world violence. I've seen more insides of human beings than I care to. I've felt bad for them but I do not feel bad for characters on a TV show.

My opinion is that we as a people are severely disconnected with the actuality that we are fragile beings. Media and authorities go through great pains to keep any actual viewing of disturbing things away from the general public. I certainly can understand keeping someones privacy intact but not fully understanding that our actions have consequences is not doing us any favors.



posted on Oct, 24 2016 @ 11:06 PM
link   
a reply to: Astrocyte

I guess that's why our ancestors built colosseum's.

2nd



posted on Oct, 24 2016 @ 11:12 PM
link   
a reply to: Astrocyte

The point of this is to connect with the audience in an emotional way. Just like poetry, art, dance, music. Sometimes it's dark. But they hit the mark.



posted on Oct, 24 2016 @ 11:28 PM
link   
This is nothing new or different. Violent storytelling predates television, radio, and probably even the written word. The Old Testament is no walk in the park; neither is the Mahabharata, the Homeric Epics, or Shakespeare. Mankind is violent; always has been, nothing has changed.

It just comes down to the ol' does life imitate art question. The Walking Dead is just a reflection of man's own deep seated experiences and issues.What was disturbing about the episode was not so much the acts themselves, but that they were perpetrated by men, not monsters, and the uncomfortable truth that is derived from that fact.

Or it might just be a TV show, what do I know?



posted on Oct, 24 2016 @ 11:49 PM
link   
I have agreed with you since I watched half the first episode. Years ago.

It's a #d up show that over reached it's bounds so hard that, well, I'm not surprised to learn that it now excels at over-reaching.

Stupid show. One of the stupidest ever.




posted on Oct, 25 2016 @ 12:03 AM
link   
Fiction has and always will be the medium for humanity to display the utter darkness of humanity. This has been proven to actually help become more socially aware and conscious individuals.

Puritans were often trying to stifle things deemed to sexual or violent..and of course that removed them from considering the implications of brutality..what formed was ultimately hangings, witch burnings, native american atrocities, etc.

Puritanism should be fought. it is in fact our expressions in these matters that makes us more balanced.

Here is a interesting study relevant to the discussion:
Bad video game behavior increases moral sensetivity
Fiction is fiction, a game and a television show are equal here, both allow for vicarious experiences through the eyes of the avatar, the characters, etc.

You might find it interesting if you actually have opinions on this and would care to actually know facts now.

And finally, take this thread as proof of that.
You watched the show, and it was so moving and terrible to you that you got inspired to talk it out as to how it was in fact terrible.
If you never got exposed to it, its unsettling aspects wouldn't have been made "real". if you heard about "some guy killed 2 people with a baseball bat", it wouldn't sound good, but you wouldn't have had the first hand impression of the viseral and brutal nature of it all.



posted on Oct, 25 2016 @ 12:05 AM
link   

originally posted by: Dan00
I have agreed with you since I watched half the first episode. Years ago.

It's a #d up show that over reached it's bounds so hard that, well, I'm not surprised to learn that it now excels at over-reaching.

Stupid show. One of the stupidest ever.


One of the best written character driven shows. the zombies and the brutality is a side aspect of the shows.
You watched a half of the first episode and will judge an entire long running series on it?
no please..tell me what else is stupid in the universe, your opinion on things you have no knowledge about surely is meaningful somehow.



posted on Oct, 25 2016 @ 12:10 AM
link   

originally posted by: Astrocyte
What the hell is wrong with society that this sort of brutality can be put on TV and tolerated by its audiences? What is the point or the purpose? To shock? What if you shock, and, also annoy?


Yes, brutality.


Exodus 11:5
Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well.

I mean its not as brutal as a deity slaying babys, but still pretty rough.
(btw, this is called the "good" book)


What is the point.



posted on Oct, 25 2016 @ 12:13 AM
link   

originally posted by: reldra
Just like poetry, art, dance, music. Sometimes it's dark. But they hit the mark.

Roses are red
and the ground got red too
glen was a twitcher
and his head is now goo


....too soon?



posted on Oct, 25 2016 @ 12:15 AM
link   
You watch a show about the zombie apocalypse.... You see many other gruesome acts of violence against zombies and humans...but draw the line at a baseball beating?

How about this, you waited, what? 7-8 months for this after the cliffhanger fully expecting that someone was going to get the end of that bat..

I don't get it... Was even close to the GRAPHIC novel its based off.

TWD, will be fine without the band wagon fans.

As for a 17 year old be Traumatized be this episode, puuhh lease, warning before the episode and if the cant handle this they cant handle the daily news nor the real world, need to.parent better imo lol



posted on Oct, 25 2016 @ 12:21 AM
link   
Spoiler Warning!


I stopped watching around the end of season 4.It was with the episode called "The Grove".This is the cliff notes version.Carol and tyrese stopped by this farmhouse with the two sisters.Well, the older one snapped and killed the younger one.So Carol took her out to the field and told the sister too look at the Daffodils.And the girl was crying because she knew what she had done was wrong.Carol killed her.I couldn't handle that much darkness and I stopped watching.



posted on Oct, 25 2016 @ 12:24 AM
link   

originally posted by: wutang717
I don't get it... Was even close to the GRAPHIC novel its based off.

TWD, will be fine without the band wagon fans.

As for a 17 year old be Traumatized be this episode, puuhh lease, warning before the episode and if the cant handle this they cant handle the daily news nor the real world, need to.parent better imo lol

off topic. crazy syncronicity.
your avatar is from The Watchmen..writing here I turned on Disturbed's Sound of Silence (seemed fitting) and was thinking how I actually like it but nothing will stop my love for the song when it was in The Watchmen during the funeral scene...come back here to see your avatar. heh.

A comedian died tonight.

Anyhow, you're right. they said they had to tone down Neegan for tv
normies shouldn't watch zombie flicks...or really any gore horror..they are demanding zombies become the wimpified vampires that sparkle and drink cow blood or some such nonsense.



posted on Oct, 25 2016 @ 12:27 AM
link   

originally posted by: buckwhizzle
Spoiler Warning!


I stopped watching around the end of season 4.It was with the episode called "The Grove".This is the cliff notes version.Carol and tyrese stopped by this farmhouse with the two sisters.Well, the older one snapped and killed the younger one.So Carol took her out to the field and told the sister too look at the Daffodils.And the girl was crying because she knew what she had done was wrong.Carol killed her.I couldn't handle that much darkness and I stopped watching.


Just look at the flowers.


The girl didn't know she did wrong btw...that was the problem. She was broken and simply a liability.
She was crying because she couldn't finish the plan of killing everyone so everyone is at peace and become zombies..aka, getting caught made her realize she wouldn't be able to finish the plan

it was heart wrenching. ugg...I almost forgot about that episode. soo damn good in how tragic the whole thing was.



posted on Oct, 25 2016 @ 01:08 AM
link   
a reply to: Astrocyte

Emotional trauma? Sounds like you might need to toughen up a little. Or if the show is that disturbing to you don't watch it. I thought the episode was pretty entertaining.



posted on Oct, 25 2016 @ 02:08 AM
link   
I remember when Walking Dead was actually about zombies. First season was the best season by far IMO.



posted on Oct, 25 2016 @ 02:36 AM
link   
a reply to: Astrocyte

beh... Walking Dead is utter Crap



What the hell is wrong with society that this sort of brutality can be put on TV and tolerated by its audiences? What is the point or the purpose? To shock? What if you shock, and, also annoy? Even more to the point, were advantaged - we are safe from such horrors, whereas people in other countries really are subject to witnessing the horror and trauma of a human skull - the storehouse of consciousness - mutilated.


Well there is absolutely nothing wrong with society. It's just being manipulated at a very sophisticated level...

To understand I would advise you to watch this vid...


ps this man is just a kind of whistleblower. In my opinion the Elite is doing this. The same people that propagate ms Hillary.
edit on 10252016 by frenchfries because: (no reason given)

edit on 10252016 by frenchfries because: (no reason given)



posted on Oct, 25 2016 @ 07:15 AM
link   
a reply to: Astrocyte

Great post.

I've been watching it since the beginning, but after watching the season premier, I've decided that I'm done with the walking dead.

I'm going to stick with shows about time travel and outer space from now on.



posted on Oct, 25 2016 @ 08:16 AM
link   
It's some dark stuff.
I get it.

But really, what else do you expect from a show taking place in a world where there is no longer the rule of law to keep people in check?

I think the point is to BE shocking, but moreso, that the shock comes from people's actions vs. hordes of the undead.

Every one of the most shocking horror moments in the show have been from what PEOPLE do to other people.

That said, we all have our lines...and sometimes, fiction crosses it. I remember reading some of the Dark Tower series by Stephen King, and going...whoa...too far man....so I get it.

But, hey, we all have to figure it out for ourselves. Yeah, I think TWD went a bit too far with this episode for a LOT of fans. I get being faithful to the comic, but while I liked the episode, I don't think it was the best business decision.



posted on Oct, 25 2016 @ 08:39 AM
link   
Is the sky also green in your world?

Mankind is the most brutal thing to ever walk this planet and that is with structure in place. In an end of civilization type scenario if you think for one second that things would not devolve then cool story. If you want see brutality just walk around a major city..go spend a weekend in the ER of any hospital. look at the news and realize on a daily, hourly, per minute basis some place in the world someone is doing the most barbaric, degrading and inhumane thing you can imagine to someone else.

Lets forget all that for a minute though..

It's a FAKE horror show about a zombie apocalypse and people are offended by what they watched? Just like people that go to a live comedy show and get offended when a comedian tells a joke they dont like. It's like jumping in the ocean and then complaining how you got wet.




top topics



 
18
<<   2  3  4 >>

log in

join