tv "Film and TV are harmful to society"

[Dety]

Whenever I see statements like this I just want to jump through the screen and slap them.

Now in some cases I agree. (For example, Kardashians vs Breaking Bad) Two completely different shows and completely different genres. Film is a powerful tool, and in the wrong hands it can do more harm than good. But it annoys the hell out of me when people group all TV shows and ALL movies together and say that they ALL are simply "eye-candy" and dumb people down.

But to be honest, though it doesn't destroy my passion, I feel like I lose a bit of my purpose. Not just as a filmmaker, but as an artist. I want to bring stories to the world and hopefully change society through them. How do you deal with statements like "Oh you shouldn't be making movies, or wasting your time by watching this, this and this, you should be out doing something worthwhile like studying to be a doctor"

It's hard to explain to those people that this is my drive! Without this, without writing and storytelling, there is nothing for me. I feel that the world is a dark place without film and story (art in general). And that film has the ability to change the world for the better.

How do you all deal with things like this? Any good articles?

 

[rayw]

People are idiots.

Deal & move on.

 

[ChimpPhobiaFilms]

Some film and TV is harmful to society. Some film and TV is not harmful to society.

It's absolutely ridiculous to get mad at people for clumping art together. We are allowed to have an opinion, and so are they. There will always be people that appreciate film (and all art for that matter), and there are plenty of them right now.

 

[Jack Lynt]

Now in some cases I agree. (For example, Kardashians vs Breaking Bad) Two completely different shows and completely different genres.

:chuckle:

Film is a powerful tool, and in the wrong hands it can do more harm than good. But it annoys the hell out of me when people group all TV shows and ALL movies together and say that they ALL are simply "eye-candy" and dumb people down.

I guess film can be a powerful tool. I don't know how much harm it ever does...I mean, if it really does any more harm than, say, books or yellow or dishonest journalism etc can do. But no doubt film can be used to do harm --as with things like propaganda, a tool for disseminating misinformation, and I suppose other things.

Like Rayw said, we're not all created equals in the sensibility department. People who say that all TV and movies are simply eye-candy or dumb are either ignorant of the truth, lying, or don't have their heads screwed on right. And like Chimp said, it's probably a waste of your psychic and emotional energy to worry about their mistaken opinions.

Unless...the wrong such people get into a position of power to decide which art (in this case film) is degenerate art, and not allowed, and which art is acceptable, and allowed...like the Nazis did.

Which can happen. It has. And not only in Nazi Germany.

Art in Nazi Germany

From that article:

Hitler considered himself to be very knowledgeable with regards to art and effectively decided that there were two forms of art – un-German degenerate art of the likes of Pablo Picasso and classical realistic art that represented all that was good about Nazi Germany and Germans.

And:

Once he was made Chancellor, Hitler was in the perfect position to enforce his artistic values on the whole of Nazi Germany. The March 1933 Enabling Act gave him the legal basis to do this. Hitler created the Reich Chamber of Culture headed by Joseph Goebbels. This organisation was split into seven sections: fine arts, music, theatre, literature, press, radio and film. Each one of these was required to put Gleichschaltung into the way they operated – Hitler’s desired for coordination of the German population.

42,000 artists were given government approval but they were required to join the Reich Chamber of Visual Arts. The rules of the chamber were backed by law. Artists were not allowed to be “politically unreliable” and could be expelled from the chamber if they were. If they were expelled they were forbidden to paint, forbidden to teach and were deprived of the right to exhibit their work. Shops that sold paintings were given a list of approved artists and artists who had been banned for “political unreliability”. The Gestapo made surprise unannounced visits to art studios to ensure that they were doing all that was required of them – painting as the state required them to paint.

But to be honest, though it doesn't destroy my passion, I feel like I lose a bit of my purpose. Not just as a filmmaker, but as an artist. I want to bring stories to the world and hopefully change society through them. How do you deal with statements like "Oh you shouldn't be making movies, or wasting your time by watching this, this and this, you should be out doing something worthwhile like studying to be a doctor"

It's excellent that you know exactly what your passion is. That's a gift. You should pursue it, in some way or another.

Being a (good) doctor is obviously a noble thing, not to mention needed. But, also obviously, we can't or won't all be doctors. And again, people who see no value or importance in film, well, mostly you shouldn't have any need to worry about them. Screw 'em.

On the bright side, here on IT you're "surrounded" by people who do value film. =)

 

[wreckerman893]

"Honey Boo Boo" is proof positive that the intelligence is being bred out of the human race at an alarming rate. The fact that a show like that has more than three viewers scares the hell out of me.

 

[Zensteve]

film has the ability to change the world for the better.
(...) I just want to jump through the screen and slap them

You let the oddest things get under your skin. Chillax, dude. Don't sweat the idiots.

.

 

[Sweetie]

How do you all deal with things like this? Any good articles?

Perspective is how you deal and answer it.

Film and TV are just tools and a medium. That's it. Saying Film and TV is harmful to society is very much like saying the following is also harmful to society:

Airlines - Since a plane was flown into the twin towers, air travel is evil.
Governments - Since Hitler tried to take over the world and governments are greedy, they are bad.
Cars - Drunk drivers kill, hence bad on society.
Internet - Promotes kiddie porn, fraudsters and spam. Bad right?
Smoking - Smoking kills... need I say more?
Guns - It's not guns that kill people, people kill people.
Sugar - Makes us fat.
Coal and petroleum products - Global warming.
Nuclear Physics - The atom bomb, nuclear meltdowns.

Need I continue?

There is a positive and a negative impact on technology and societal improvements. Yes, film can be used for evil, but virtually everything can. Don't sweat the "stupid" in the world. They'll drag you down you their level of stupidity and beat you with experience.