This is my entertainment! It's very important!

When did people start taking their choices of entertainment so damn seriously?

I don't know how many times a friend or family member finds something that they enjoy watching or listening to, and they absolutely INSIST on showing it to me. Like, if you don't show the proper interest in their interest they will nag you until you agree to sit down and take time out of your day to attempt to appreciate whatever it is they appreciate.

Many times showing it to you isn't enough, they have to micromanage you while they expose you to it, making sure you are paying attention to it. Or they go to the other end of the spectrum and just post whatever they are listening to at that exact moment on Facebook.

I just want to ask, "did you have something to do with the creation or production of this?" Because why else would they care so much? It's a piece of ENTERTAINMENT, not the secret to solving the economy crisis. It would be different if there was some kind of message or moral that struck a chord with them that they wanted to discuss, but sadly… I'd say 99% of the time there isn't even any post-discussion.

It's not for lack of opportunity, either. I feel that there are many seeds planted to bring up topics of discussion. For example, the last couple of episodes of season 7 or the tv show Supernatural dealt with a plot involving the season's villians taking over a company called "Sucrocorp" to poison the food supply via corn syrup and make people lethargic and dumbed down. I found this to be a interesting statement on what is actually happening in America right now. But no one ever wants to talk about that. Just about how "hot" Jenson Ackles is or how certain plot points upset them.

That leads to another point that's been bothering me. This obsession with entertainment has devolved into a twisted sense of possessive entitlement. I know that's one of those buzzwords, and I try not to use it often, but I really feel it applies here. Everyone expects to be catered to, and they throw a bloody fit when they aren't. They do everything from call the company names to wish for their demise, practically laughing manically when they read articles of said company facing hardship. It's one thing to let a company know whether you approve or disapprove of the direction they are going in, as a customer. It's another to literally rage like a spoiled toddler who just got told he can't have candy before dinner. Surely I can't be the only one who sees how unhealthy this is?

It's like many people have lost the ability to create for themselves and instead depend on corporations to keep them happy. Except they are never happy. It reminds me of something I read in a book called "Handmade Nation"; It said "Consumption eats self esteem; creation makes it grow." I feel like the same thing can be applied to mental health in general.

Thank you for reading, and have a great day.

Some good thoughts there.

I guess it comes down to what people think entertainment really is. For me, ATS is probably one of my prime sources of entertainment. Members post things that'll make me laugh, or shed a tear, or make me think or (better still) re-think something from a new perspective.

One of the key things about ATS is exactly what you mentioned when you said,

many people have lost the ability to create for themselves and instead depend on corporations to keep them happy

.

Here, we have thousands of members who create and share, most often purely for the love of creating and sharing. Rather than depending on corporations, we seem to depend more on each other. Certainly when it comes to important breaking news, it's often here before the MSM gets hold of it.

We have creative writers and published authors, artists and musicians, singers, songwriters and composers, thinkers and inventors, theorists and historians, students and scholars, and yes, even jokers and outright comedians. We have people who seek, people who question, people who have answers and people who argue, but still respect our differences.

And it's all created by our members. By us. You created something with your post. You gave us something to think about. That's a form of entertainment for people who enjoy the ancient and apparently dwindling art of thinking.

You, me, all of us who ever contribute, help to add to what's available here.

That's entertainment for me. And yes, there are many whose eyes glaze over if we start to talk about this place, but as you can't lead a horse to water, then we'll just drink of the water ourselves instead.

It's like many people have lost the ability to create for themselves and instead depend on corporations to keep them happy. Except they are never happy. It reminds me of something I read in a book called "Handmade Nation"; It said "Consumption eats self esteem; creation makes it grow." I feel like the same thing can be applied to mental health in general.

reply to post by thepixelgarden


Profound.

Thank you....given me lots to ponder.

maybe you should be flattered that that person wants to endear themself to you.
smile politly and nod your head.

I am a gamer.I spend alot of time playing games on my PS3.But I have a very select group of games i will play.
It bugs the crap out of me when some dufus online,who only knows me by my screen name,takes it upon himself to "educate" me as to the latest MMORPG.Or insists I will absolutely love COD Whatever.And when I say something to the effect that I don't care for those types of games,suddenly I don't know what i am talking about.Oh really? Your saying I don't know what I like? How would you know what I like?I have been playing video games since the first Atari console became available.Most of these kids playing today act as if they are the first generation of gamers.
sorry for the rant. lol I totally get where you are coming from.

This is because they try to insulate themselves totally from the natural world so as not disturb their delicate ego world they construct for themselves. It is idiotic. Tell them they are wasting their time and money and you'll be labeled a weirdo.

reply to post by JustMike


You make a very good point. Maybe that's why I enjoy reading the forums so much. Not just here, but all over the place. I've grown disinterested in movies & tv shows, most video games, etc. I'd rather have real interaction from people who have something genuine to contribute.

You know, there's a joke meme on the internet about Americans clapping at the end of a movie in a theater. I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I didn't get the joke at first. If it was an awesome movie, why not clap? Well duh, because there is no one there to clap for! Clapping is meant for theater, where real life people receive your enthusiasm. And I think this is symbolic for where so many of us are at: we have bought into the illusion of interaction with our television, our celebrities, etc.

Maybe that's why people get so upset when there is a plot hole in a movie, or why they feel that, when they meet an actor, that they already know him. I think that's what I'm feeling myself fall away from; that illusion. I'm not satisfied with it anymore, I want the real thing.

Thanks for the thoughtful response.

reply to post by thepixelgarden


Yes! This drives me NUTS. They want you to love it, since they love it. Just say "Hey this is funny/sad/dramatic" and I am much more likely to watch it.

No matter how funny it is, if someone sits there going "and then HE is gonna say (this) and then SHE is gonna react (like this) and then HE is gonna go (do this) and then she is gonna..." Dude. I'm smart enough to watch the show without it being explained step-by-step. Doing that makes me guaranteed to NOT appreciate whatever it is they are so obsessed with.

reply to post by thepixelgarden


Don't get me wrong...I understand where you are coming from, as I have been on both sides of the fence. If I find something interesting, out in the vast world of information, I like to share it with someone (and often, at least I think, they are glad I did). Likewise, I've had many people show me a wide variety of material, some that interested me, some that did not. Most of the time it depended on my overall mood, and how receptive I was, at the time. I think it is a basic trait of human nature to want to share the things you like, with the folks that you like. And, no matter how sad it may seem, many folks get a sense of validation, if you agree with their choices, or their lil feelers hurt, if you don't. Personally, I try to shy away from emotionally identifying with anything that is external, knowing that my emotions are mine, and mine, alone, but everybody has a different way of grasping their world, and I cannot fault them.

Besides, what you describe others doing (that, I should mention, seems to upset you, for some reason...do you not care about the people that are behaving in this way?) is the way humans pass information, and benefit and learn from each other. Failing that, it at least forms a point of communication, that can be used, and assist in deepening the bond with that person, be they spouse, friend, or acquainted.

The other side seems stranger to me. To not be open to whatever others wish to share, and to take it for whatever you can get out of it. Did you ever stop to think maybe they are trying to start a needed dialogue with you, trying to show you something they hope you will respond to, so the talk can begin, but only if YOU bring it up?

You have basically just complained about the way things go 'viral'. It starts with one, and exponentially blossoms into a phenomena, if it passes enough. I don't think any attempt to socialize in this world that is trending towards isolation, should be discarded or viewed as sheer annoyance. Just my three cents worth.

reply to post by thepixelgarden


lol your whole OP cracked me up all the way down as I've had this done to me several times.... My older sister is notorious for doing this as well, most of the time I have to keep stating "Shut up, Malana" over and over and I start missing the premise of whatever she's trying to show me because she keeps squaking "Did you know?" "What do you think" "Omg your gonna love this part" I CAN"T TAKE IT ANYMORE!

Supernatural was one of my favorite show's, a lot of what they state in that show hold some bearing on metaphysics and the supernatural realm Then again my fiance got sick and tired of me sitting on Netflix catching up on past seasons...... SnF~

Originally posted by eatbliss
that, I should mention, seems to upset you, for some reason...do you not care about the people that are behaving in this way?

Sorry, I should have emphasized more that I was referring to the excess of this behavior, not simply the act of sharing.

Originally posted by eatbliss
Did you ever stop to think maybe they are trying to start a needed dialogue with you, trying to show you something they hope you will respond to, so the talk can begin, but only if YOU bring it up?

This is what I was talking about though, when I said: "It would be different if there was some kind of message or moral that struck a chord with them that they wanted to discuss, but sadly… I'd say 99% of the time there isn't even any post-discussion."

Btw, by "some kind of message or moral" I don't mean that there HAS to be moral value in the conversation. It could just be a train of thought, pondering, whatever. ANYTHING really, other than "welp! I showed you this piece of entertainment, tell me whether you like it or not and then we can move on to the next piece of entertainment."