So if the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail, might it also be true that if all you read is Superman, you are more likely to think that every problem is best solved the Superman way?
And if a culture celebrates stories that champion a hero who gets everything done through the exercise of brute force, are the people of that culture more likely to think in those terms as well?
I believe that the brute force theory is correct. In fact, I have evidence to prove it. In Ancient Greece when the myths of the Olympian Gods ruled their everyday life, many people began to praise physical prowess. Look at Hercules. Here is a man who literally strangled a lion with his bare hands. All of the 12 trials he went through were entirely based on brute strength. There was no cunning or mental challenge to it, it was all completed with physical skill. It became a case of what’s better to have: brawn or brain? Unfortunately brawn was the most common answer. The Greeks also created the Olympic races, declaring that the winners were almost equal to the Gods. Even today we have magazines, radio ads, TV shows, and who knows what else that tell us that unless you are physically active you cannot be attractive. So yes, I believe that a culture that has a narrow mindset of what's special and what is not, we will be influenced even slightly.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely true! -And I would add, unfortunately the stories of today seem to be less heroic, and more "people just like me." We see it in our own culture where young, impressionable minds are exposed to brutish force as never before. Do the stories and actions of rebellion (brute force) perpetrate more rebellion until we have a world in which brute force appears to be "the only way for me to be who I want to be." I hope not.
ReplyDeleteI have read several books recently that are based on characters that are supposed to be like your average person. These characters commit terrible acts of violence that seem to produce the right solution to whatever problem is challenging them. Are these books actually telling readers that violence is perfectly acceptable if it has good results? I agree with Ruth that our culture does seem to be promoting violence as a predominant solution to "being who you want to be."
ReplyDeleteIf a whole society only read one type of story, such as Superman, I agree that with every problem they face in reality the answer will most likely come based on Superman’s actions. As a result, our culture would never progress past this one way of thinking. If we all only read one story we would only have the opportunity to see how that one character reacts in the face of adversity, giving us only their point of view on the world. We would not reap the benefits of different “flight simulators” through the reading of many diverse books. Therefore, we would not experience varied ways to handle our problems. We would not have the opportunity to see the many different viewpoints on our world.
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