Brian_10_I
At first I was a little apprehensive of this chapter. The first thing she writes after the "mountain" story is:
"Living life as a storyteller is fascinating. Once you realize you can move mountains..."
But I stuck with it, and I'm glad I did.
I really liked parts of this chapter. The "Blame Cultures" section is fabulous. Perhaps I think so just because it fits in nicely with my personal theory of the universe. She writes:
"The stories you chose to tell have a dramatic impact on the environment you create for yourself. Fear stories are easier to spread but usualy have long-term negative consequences. Since fear is easier to activate than hope, people see a fear story work first, and stick with it. For instance, some churches gain converts with fear stories ('Repent or you are going to hell') rather than hope stories ('forgiveness and compassion connect you to God'). A fear story may work faster but fear stories create 'move away from' patterns that prevent the connections that build tolerance, compassion, and long-term growth...."
Fear is easy, hope isn't. This isn't the first time she has said this, but I think she wraps it up nicely here. Journalists could use this concept when giving us stories. (If I may go back to earlier discussions about Michael Moore, I really liked where I THOUGHT he was going with "Bowling for Columbine," the culture of fear spread by the media, but then he went eighteen different ways and didn't give us any conclusion.)
My personal creed is: don't go for the low-hanging fruit. It certainly applies here to journalists. Don't get me started on the recent wave of "comedy" films lately.
Labels: boswell
posted by kingfish @ 7:30 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
I'm with you! Red Skeleton, Abbott & Costello, Groucho...they were a dif. breed. Now it
s let's throw, kick or hit another guy in the crotch. Oops. I forgot to laugh. I want to throw these writers out the window. Yes, let's get this conversation going. It relates to last week having an audience with the patience to wait for a real joke.
An old lit. professor told me comedy happens when the output is the opposite of the input.
So when a regal, respectable king trips on his robe, it's funny. The same deal when a car wash does not clean the vehicle but instead smashes the windows with the force of a tidal wave.
Conclusion: If writers keep offering kick-me-in-the-crotch scripts, that particular exchange will cease to be funny.
In an interview, John Cleese once said that comedy usually involves the breaking of taboos. I agree that SOME comedy is based on that.
The main problem with the comedy based solely on taboo breakage is that it soon becomes dated. Once the taboos have been broken enough times, they cease to be taboos, and the "comedy" becomes dated.
Even with the classics you mentioned--and believe me, I am a bigger fan than you'd believe of the aforementioned comedians--become slightly dated when their comedy relied on the taboos of the time. (For instance, audiences of the 40s and 50s would always give a "naughty" chuckle when certain subjects were joked about: Changing diapers, using (or avoiding) words like "belly" and "guts" etc...)
Two thoughts:
First, on the “fear stories,” I think some churches definitely use this a lot. I’ve been learning this recently, because my boyfriend is Catholic, and this is so new to me. I’ve gone to church with him a lot, and seen how often they use “fear stories” compared to Methodist churches that I’m used to…
Second, please do not call Michael Moore a journalist. TRUE journalists provide unbiased information, or at least try to.
I guess I did use Michael Moore in the same paragraph as journalists. What I was trying to do was agree with part of his "Columbine" movie--at least what I THOUGH he was saying at first. And that is:
The media are nurturing a culture of fear.
Even true journalists doing it. "If it bleeds it leads."
I have a video I put together on youtube. It's a spoof on this concept. OK, it's a little silly, but it makes my point.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HM2s_4ZpK0
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