What the hell does “cultural enfoldment” and “re-cohere” mean to you Corey? Are we suppose to come up with our own subjective understanding of what that means? And in my eyes, dissonance is putting it mildly.
Aside from the above, the question arises: for those who have reached higher stages of spiritual and psychological development, do they find the industrial entertainment complex a rich source of narratives that are meaningful, thought provoking, and transformational hence worthy of the evolution of humanity? Why does the vast majority of people take pleasure in all manner of movies that depict wars, violence, rapes, corruption, fatal romances, stupidity and ignorance? It is as if the masses are addicted to stories with no social redeeming value. It’s like junk food. I ask these question because of what Erich Fromm said
"What was the function of the Greek drama? Fundamental problems of human existence were presented in an artistic and dramatic form, and participating in the dramatic performance, the spectator—though not as a spectator in our modern sense of the consumer—was carried away from the sphere of daily routine and brought in touch with himself as a human being, with the roots of his existence. He touched the ground with his feet, and in this process gained strength by which he was brought back to himself. Whether we think of the Greek drama, the medieval passion play, or an Indian dance, whether we think of Hindu, Jewish or Christian religious rituals, we are dealing with various forms of dramatization of the fundamental problems of human existence, with an acting out of the very same problems which are thought out in philosophy and theology".
For the the vast majority of people who will not sit and read what Dr. Fromm and other deep thinkers about the many ways we are fucking things up royally and how to stop it, all you can do is tell them stories that point in the direction of transformation. I mean, is it possible to have stories with “nutritious knowledge” that can fortify people to think more critically about themselves and stop being such a dick towards each other? When will we realize that the entertainment industry does not give two shits about the future of humanity. All they want is to make money and the only way to do it is to make movies that appeal to our imagination, irrational emotions, ignorance, and the level of emotional intelligence of the masses that continues its course towards madness. In the 60’s, Huston Smith asked Fromm this question:
Do you think that the American society is a realistic society?
Fromm: Indeed. I don’t think that at all. I think we are probably one of the most unrealistic societies which have ever lived under the sun
The most unrealistic I’ve experience besides two political parties who are all fucking idiots, is the entertainment industry that churns out stories 24/7 that keeps us distracted from realizing the truth about the world we live in and how we are all perpetuating the madness. Stories can have a powerful effect on the human mind -provided it has relevance, meaning, and the insight needed to remind ourselves of our humanity and that we still have much more to learn about what it means to be human.
To me, the vast majority of films of today are retrograde, distracting, depressing, demoralizing, and addictive. It’s not like the industry is interested in the most brilliant minds in philosophy, psychology, and sociology to help them create stories that are truly transformational. Hell no.
