LightningBolt, 2/5

Today in class we discussed Lyotard’s question, what happens when characters on screen start being talked about as real people?

This is an interesting concept because it is something that most of us do without questioning it. Most people have a few TV shows that they like to follow consistently. For me these are Grey’s Anatomy and Gossip Girl. I have been watching these shows for so long now that the characters in them seem like real people to me. I know that they are actors reading from scripts, but when you are so indulged in a show it is hard to keep that in mind. It is not rare that I will have a conversation with my friends and say things such as, “Can you believe Derek is going to ask Meredith to marry him?” Or “I’m so mad at Blaire, she is being so rude right now.” Although Television was before Lytord’s time he predicted that this would happen.

“Classicism seems to be so ruled out in a world in which reality is so destabilized that it offers no occasion for experience but one for ratings and experimentation” (40)

I found this quote from class very interesting because it seems to true and relative to my life. If everyone else tells me a movie is bad, I won’t go see it. It would be rare that I would pick up a book that has never been reviewed highly and read it. I have never considered that I may have wildly different taste than all of the critics in the world and I am limiting myself from discovering that. This may have been easier for Lyotard during his time because there were fewer choices. There are so many movies, books, and TV shows to choose from now that listening to critics and reviews seems to be a logical way or narrowing down the selection. American’s are very busy and don’t believe that they have time to spare testing out new materials when they know they could choose the highly praised one.