Imagine you're in the dark. Got it? Don't close your eyes...hehe...; then you won't be able to read. All dark now? Good. The opaque encompasses you with its cold tendrils as the Children of the night cry outside your window. You start to realize this is really starting to get to you and you lunge for your dear friend, the Light Switch. You feel the flick and you hear that lovely click, but there's one problem: No Lights. You're in your own little box of mortality and reality with too much apprehension to venture towards that nearby door because all of a sudden: THUMP! right on the frame, from the outside. Your heart starts to pump faster and your limbs go numb; all of a sudden, couches are unwelcome because by having your feet on the floor, you're allowing anything at any moment to snatch your ankles and pull you under, tearing you asunder. Feeling just a little nauseous? Well, if you do, then this is fine, because, well, you're human. Words, emotions, sights and other instigators should prompt a little bit of apprehension, even though the above paragraph is just an artfully assembled establishment of words. There's also the chance nothing happened. While that isn't exactly a problem, or at least isn't seen as one, it's too predictable. Too few people give into their instincts nowadays and, frankly, you've heard it all before. "Desensitization". Is it immoral to be desensitized? Of course not. However, it's just as bad as being constantly turned on to be turned off. Why are people desensitized?? There's plenty of reasons, but for now, we're going to focus on these words: "It's just a ___________". Usually, something from the media goes in the blank. What do I mean by it? Oh just this: A favorite TV show is pitted in a dire situation, say, one it usually isn't. It's something of a surprise, and whether you admit it or not: Deep down, it scares you. Not the mortal terror you see faced by the character(s), but by the "Idea". So you bring in your ole security blanky Mr. "It'sjusta" to keep you warm and sane. Like I said though, it's not a bad mantra, but one that is used mindlessly. You're probably telling yourself more of the truth than a lie when you say "It'sjusta" during a screening of "28 Days Later". But you close off your mind to the idea. Eventually, this can become a drastic consequence because the whole point of the "It'sjusta" movie/Show/media is to entertain or incite an idea. By pulling the wool over your own eyes, you close off your mind to the desired results. Watch "Saw" with an open mind, and it becomes even more haunting than any amount of gore can accomplish. But it's not all about frights. Sometimes, in our modern societies, it's just as fearful a thought to think as it is to be somewhere frightening. Take for instance the worlds of George Orwell and Aldous Huxley. Most specifically, let's look at "1984" and "Brave New World". If you refuse to think about the deeper source material, the stories go on and on, forever about nothing. Now... philosophize. What would life be like for me in this world? For my family? For the one I love the most in the whole world? If you're able to imagine this, then you aren't as deeply affected by the overdose of "It'sjusta" most self-prescribe themselves to. Once you start to think, the world really does become a scary place, but really only because (I hate to say this) there's really no shortage of idiots. "Itsjusta"...These are the words murmured by a fair sum of people as they view any given media source that chills them to the point they can't stand it. Little do they realize: it's a big mistake! You're not just closing your eyes, you're closing your mind. Eventually, this could lead you to a helpless state someday where you mindlessly babble in a corner this other popular "It'sjusta": "It's just...a dream..." Hopefully, by the end of this, someone'll look at entertainment in a different light, because it's everywhere; but that doesn't mean everyone sees it.
Well I' ve seen so many gore movies that I can watch The Walking Dead while eating, all that gory stuff is just meat or CG or whatever. You' d be hard pressed to find a video game that can shock me. And yet I still remember that poor kitten that got squashed by a car right under my eyes a few years back, it shocked me like no movie ever did and I don' t think I' ll ever forget it. "It'sjusta" is either an acurate description (if it' s a movie or a game then it' s not real) or a copping mechanism. People die horribly everyday all around the world, I don' t suppose you pause and shed a tear for each and every one of them. Sounds like a recipe for depression to me, I' d say getting desensitized is actually healthier. Sad or controversial news make more money than happy news, between tv and the internet we' re exposed to them like never before, but we mustn' t forget that the one tree struck by lightning is always noisier than the growing forest' s whisper. What you don' t want to become is apathetic, but that' s not quite the same thing and I' m not sure I' m willing to blame the medias for that. If you' re motivated to have an impact on the world around you then the medias are a powerfull tool to help you do that.
