where spoof becomes reality
genkaku
Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran
Because it shivered my timbers, I take the self-important liberty of posting what I posted on my blog this morning:
A spoof is roughly a humorous exaggeration or reweaving of a trend or fact. It relies for its humorous effect on a shared or presumed understanding that is carried to an extreme in search of rueful laughter.
Yesterday, a friend sent along the video posted below. It seems to be a spoof and yet what fell in on me like a brick wall was the question, "What if the shared or presumed understanding no longer existed and the facts of the spoof were all that remained?" What if well-intentioned ignorance and idiocy were the norm and a saner and more thoughtful world were simply a bit of insanity?
The thought scared the crap out of me because it meant that my connection with others was once more being diminished. My 'sanity' was in serious question. My presumptions -- cultural, intellectual and emotional -- were flat out wrong.
Naturally, I recoiled from the vortex of fear this premise nourished. I came up with soothing, intellectually-refined explanations ... TED-talk twaddle ... and yet, I have to admit it, the fear lingered and smirked.
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Comments
Not to be verbose, but this video ROCKS!
haha! I didn't know Triumph was still around!
I think the reason so much of this stuff is so popular and amusing is because it's only a smidge off of reality sometimes. The movie Idiocracy makes me think the same kind of things you thought. It is unnerving. But this stuff only ends up at at the forefront because people enjoy the ridiculous nature of it and how it seems to have humanity teetering on the edge of craziness. The online world is just so very different but spending too much time in it can start to influence how we see people in "real" life. At least for me.
When news is entertainment, it's pretty hard to discern what the world is really like. So I try to just take it in stride knowing the world I actually interact with in person is quite a bit different, even among those people I am so, so different from. The world we are shown, spoof/satire or not, still isn't reality by far and we can never know what is really is so I don't give it much weight in either case.
I wonder if you showed some clips of the presidential race of today to people 20 or 30 years ago if it wouldn't seem as ridiculous.
The meaning of the word "Entertain" has evolved over the years. Its archaic meaning (from French entretenir, based on Latin inter 'among’ + tenere ‘to hold.’) originally meant "to maintain, continue," and later "to maintain in a certain condition, treat in a certain way," also "to show hospitality" (late 15th century). That archaic meaning still resides, in part, in such phrases as "to entertain the notion" (to consider it).
But in today's 24/7 news cycles, what is the difference anymore? I mean, as far as Fox News (the Armpit of America) goes? Maintaining or Entertaining?
I say BOTH.
A funny video. It does remind me of the silent movie era spoof of a screen comic group know as 'The Keystone Cops'. It turned out the spoof was taken for the real (comic) Kestone Cops. It was so close to the original that the viewers held no perceptual difference between the original and the spoof.
Welcome to Fox News.
Yes it is a bit unnerving to realize the current spoof was too close to the real thing.
[It should be noted that FOX apparently deems it's news to be 'entertainment' and propaganda rather than real news.]
On a broader note, we must always be alert as to what we are hearing or reading. As a certain high ranking NAZI official pointed out, a lie repeated enough times oft becomes 'the truth' or 'reality'. (He left of the 'oft'.)
I will not pursue this line further as I do not deem there any value in doing so.
A smile can disarm a thousand warriors.
Hot cocoa is the order of the day.
@genkaku said:
I find that cultural, intellectual and emotional alignments are presumptions. Sanity is in a sense independent from such processing.
Of course I could be wrong but then it would be right not to align with presumptions either way ... As ever there is a third option, a middle way connected with equanimity ...
... and now back to the foxy FAQS ...
To the extent that presumed understanding is a fiction, some considerable strain falls on 'what if'.
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