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Do you think the way places on TV or in movies are portrayed has an impact on how society perceives them? Or, do you think that the way places are portrayed is just a reaction to the way society perceives them at the time? (or both?) Do you think there has been a change over the years that might correspond with recent back to the city buzz?
This question came to me while watching Se7en, the other day. The city in that movie is almost a parody of everything people say they would hate about living in the city, and why they prefer living in the suburbs.
Another example would be Escape From New York, from the early 80's, which showed the city--literally--as a place to escape from. (with the exception of the crazy cab driver who seemed to be the movie's acknowledgment of that small minority of people who preferred living in the city) The more recent Escape from LA showed a more flashy, less bleak picture of a post-apocalyptic L.A., IMO. (I believe the captured president's daughter even decided she wanted to stay, instead of going back to the "normal" world)
So, what do you think? Do any movies come to mind for you?
Christopher Leinberger talked about this: the images of the suburbs in the 1950s were things like "Leave it to Beaver," mostly manufactured fantasies with June Cleaver vacuuming in high heels. 1970s archetypes were more about the results of "urban renewal" that gutted cities rather than repairing them--films like "Escape From New York" and "The Warriors." But in the 1990s and 2000s, the pendulum started to swing the other way--TV shows like "Friends," "Seinfeld" and "Sex and the City" showed cities as interesting, lively places. Meanwhile, the role of the suburbs as idealized haven started to decay in the 1970s too--first in the underground, with films like Penelope Spheeris' "Suburbia," and ending up with dystopian/utopian visions like "The Truman Show" (which, in an act of no little irony, was filmed in Seaside, CA, a town considered a prototypical example of "Traditional Neighborhood Design" and sweetheart of New Urbanist writers.
It seems that the older shows did portray the suburbs as safe and clean - but boring. At the same time there was more action in the city. Seems most of the older TV shows set in the city were cop shows. Rural areas were just seen as comic relief, Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, Green Acres.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Bob Newhart and All in the Family were from the 70s. They didn't paint a horrible picture of the city. If there is one place TV/movies seem to hate it's rural areas. From the Beverly Hillbillies to Deliverance to True Blood to the X-Files to 30 Rock. People out in the boonies are stupid and dangerous.
TV shows like "Friends," "Seinfeld" and "Sex and the City" showed cities as interesting, lively places.
The possibility of having neighbors like Newman and Kramer is enough to scare me away from high-density living forever. I don't need that kind of liveliness ...
seeing as all a lot of people do is watch tv, it is their window to the world, and the effects are dramatic. unfortunately television is rife with stereotypes, which few people attempt to deconstruct or understand. these are generally negative stereotypes for the south and midwest and generally positive stereotypes for the northeast and the west coast. generally positive for a few "chosen cities" (new york, seattle, etc.) and negative for other cities. generally positive for a few "chosen rural areas" (alaska, california, pacific nw and the northeast) and negative for other rural areas. these stereotypes get recycled ad nauseum by people who imagine their life to be as interesting as the people they see on fictional television programs.
seeing as all a lot of people do is watch tv, it is their window to the world, and the effects are dramatic. unfortunately television is rife with stereotypes, which few people attempt to deconstruct or understand. these are generally negative stereotypes for the south and midwest and generally positive stereotypes for the northeast and the west coast. generally positive for a few "chosen cities" (new york, seattle, etc.) and negative for other cities. generally positive for a few "chosen rural areas" (alaska, california, pacific nw and the northeast) and negative for other rural areas. these stereotypes get recycled ad nauseum by people who imagine their life to be as interesting as the people they see on fictional television programs.
True. And generally, people dont think for themselves on our society.
The media makes it all too easy to stereotype. And that is preferable to taking time to actually explore or research anything, as opposed to just letting the 'idiot box' condition and brainwash us into percieving life a certain narrow-minded and in many cases, bigoted way. Another word for this might be, prejudice.
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