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The Handmaid's Tale - No Spoilers

personperson Don't believe everything you thinkThe liminal space Veteran
in General Banter

I've been watching the TV show having never read the book and was wondering how other people felt about it. I've got a few episodes left so no spoilers please.

I can sit through the worst parts of The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, what have you and don't really feel very bothered by it. But the content of The Handmaid's Tale is freaking me the F out. It's not graphic like the other shows but the details of the show world hit me hard.

Comments

  • lobsterlobster Crusty Veteran

    Indeed.

    So not wishing to be freaked out I stopped watching the TV series [top tip].

    Theocracy, whether Christian, Islamic, Pagan, Buddhist or religion of Capitalism/Socialism is not perfect - you may have noticed. Fortunately our switched on, self educated are more aware of the dangers, whilst simultaneously being brainwashed by fake news, fake politicians, fakebook and hyper hype fake handmaidens ...

    Tara help us ;)

    person
  • ShoshinShoshin No one in particular Nowhere Special Veteran

    It's funny you should mention this @person, I've also been watching it and yes it does have some disturbing elements to it, which makes one think...especially when the religious right hold so much political clout in the US...Gradual,causal change that goes unnoticed, then wammo... Blessed be the eye

    God help us all, and that's saying something.....cos I'm an atheist :winky:

    silverperson
  • silversilver In the beginning there was nothing, and then it exploded. USA, Left coast. Veteran

    I read the book ages ago...don't own a tv and haven't caught it anywhere else on-line.
    Sounds good, though, actually.

    person
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    I have no idea....never seen it, never heard of it, just looked it up, and frankly, you can keep it.
    Why disturb yourself with such horror, when everything REALLY happening in the world right now is enough to even make Stephen King feel uneasy??

    As if some RL events are not tragic or terrifying enough, we have to feed this inner drive to absorb negativity by adding a layer of tv crap? Really??

    Just my 2 cents. Carry on. ;)

    lobster
  • mindatriskmindatrisk Veteran

    I like The Wire the best.

  • personperson Don't believe everything you think The liminal space Veteran

    @federica said:
    Why disturb yourself with such horror, when everything REALLY happening in the world right now is enough to even make Stephen King feel uneasy??

    You got me to ask myself the question, why DO I like it? I am disturbed by it, but maybe more in a good way.

    Some fiction is pure escapism, some fiction, like THT, are close enough to a possible reality that I think they're able to touch our fears or hopes about reality and allow us to experience them in a safe space, because ultimately it isn't actually real.

    To me this seems like art that is trying to disturb us, not for titillation, but to send a message of the potential dangers of certain fundamentalist worldviews

    Shoshinkarasti
  • mindatriskmindatrisk Veteran

    @person said:

    @federica said:
    Why disturb yourself with such horror, when everything REALLY happening in the world right now is enough to even make Stephen King feel uneasy??

    You got me to ask myself the question, why DO I like it? I am disturbed by it, but maybe more in a good way.

    Some fiction is pure escapism, some fiction, like THT, are close enough to a possible reality that I think they're able to touch our fears or hopes about reality and allow us to experience them in a safe space, because ultimately it isn't actually real.

    To me this seems like art that is trying to disturb us, not for titillation, but to send a message of the potential dangers of certain fundamentalist worldviews

    You can use any experience to attain insight and to practice. For example, practicing mindfulness of your fears whilst watching this show could be helpful for practicing mindfulness when real life fears come up. Really, the Buddhist practice is much less about what we experience and much more about how we experience.

    personlobster
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited September 2017

    @Kannon said:
    "art comforts the disturbed
    and disturbs the comfortable"

    I looked up the original - which I think is thought-provoking and commendable, so thanks for posting it, @Kannon - is as follows:

    “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.”

    And Cesar A. Cruz said it.

    Great quotation, @Kannon.

    personVastmind
  • ShoshinShoshin No one in particular Nowhere Special Veteran

    The Dharma can be liken to a work of art .....Just saying :)

  • karastikarasti Breathing Minnesota Moderator

    haven't seen it yet, but it's on the list. I enjoy things that make me think and give me different perspectives, whether fictional or not. Fantasy does the same thing for a lot of people, things like Narnia, Harry Potter, Outlander etc. Just depends on the person watching.

    person
  • personperson Don't believe everything you think The liminal space Veteran

    @karasti said:
    haven't seen it yet, but it's on the list. I enjoy things that make me think and give me different perspectives, whether fictional or not. Fantasy does the same thing for a lot of people, things like Narnia, Harry Potter, Outlander etc. Just depends on the person watching.

    Glad to see you mention Outlander it's on sale on iTunes for $10 and I saw that it had good reviews so I bought it and will probably get to that sometime this month too.

  • lobsterlobster Crusty Veteran

    @federica said:
    As if some RL events are not tragic or terrifying enough, we have to feed this inner drive to absorb negativity by adding a layer of tv crap? Really??

    @federica I believe I may be in the wrong brane of the multiverse. Ay caramba. Real Life seems surreal ...
    I have a soft spot for SF but find myself increasingly living in a Trump dystopian nighmare. Crazy despots, sheeple leading themselves to global nihilism, religions so bizarre you could sell them on the dark web ...

    However ... there is some great programming available, for example Sense8 - sex, violence, mutant mindfulness and ...

    Jeroen
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