POP CULTURE: What Is Cinema For?

Summary

This script argues that cinema is a powerful cultural force akin to theater and painting, capable of inducing emotions and serving as a form of therapy. It suggests films can address self-pity, highlight consequences of small actions, glamorize everyday life, connect us to humanity, and inspire bravery. The speaker proposes a more nuanced film categorization to better direct audiences to films that can aid in life's challenges, positioning cinema as a guide to life and applied philosophy.

Takeaways

• 🎭 Cinema is considered the most prestigious cultural activity of the modern world, akin to theater during Shakespeare's time or painting during the Renaissance.
• 🌟 Films have a profound impact on audiences, yet their purpose and value in society are often overlooked.
• 🤔 The script challenges us to consider the utility of films beyond mere entertainment, suggesting they should be seen as a form of therapy.
• 😂 Comedies can help us deal with self-pity by humorously highlighting the absurdity in our serious reactions to life's problems.
• ⏱️ Films can accelerate time to show the significant consequences of seemingly minor actions, prompting viewers to reflect on their behavior.
• 💎 Cinema has the power to glamorize and can either mislead us with false ideals or help us appreciate the charm in everyday life.
• 🌐 By showcasing the lives of people from different cultures, films can counteract xenophobia and remind us of our shared humanity.
• 💪 Films can inspire courage and self-assertion, teaching us the importance of standing up for what is right, even in the face of conflict.
• 🏆 The script envisions a future where film classification focuses on the emotional and psychological benefits each film provides to its audience.
• 🌟 At their best, films are not just entertainment but guides to life, offering valuable philosophical insights and moral guidance.

Q & A

What does the speaker compare cinema to in the past?

The speaker compares cinema to theater in the age of Shakespeare and painting during Leonardo DaVinci's time, implying that cinema is the most prestigious cultural activity of the modern era.

Why does the speaker believe films should serve a more serious purpose?

The speaker argues that films have great emotional power and widespread impact, but are often seen as mere entertainment. They believe films should serve a more meaningful purpose, helping society by addressing real human problems.

How does the speaker suggest films can act as a form of therapy?

Films can act as therapy by helping audiences confront personal issues such as self-pity, carelessness, disenchantment with life, and the need for courage. They can encourage reflection and personal growth by illustrating these issues in relatable or exaggerated ways.

What is one way films can help people dealing with self-pity?

The speaker mentions that comedies can help those prone to self-pity by showing absurd situations where characters face similar challenges but respond differently, encouraging viewers to be less stern and more light-hearted.

How can films teach us the consequences of seemingly small actions?

Films can speed up time and show the disastrous outcomes of small moral failings, such as dishonesty or impulsive behavior, encouraging viewers to act more morally and responsibly in their own lives.

What role do films play in helping us appreciate everyday life?

Films have the power to glamorize everyday life and make us re-appreciate what we already have, countering the media's tendency to make us long for lives that seem more exciting or glamorous than our own.

How can films promote empathy towards people from different backgrounds?

Films can humanize people from distant or unfamiliar places by portraying their lives in relatable and artistic ways, helping to overcome prejudices and reminding us of our common humanity.

What problem does the speaker identify in relation to courage and conflict?

The speaker suggests that many decent people have become too focused on compromise and gentleness, neglecting the need for courage and assertiveness in situations where conflict is inevitable. Films can inspire viewers to be braver and more willing to fight for noble causes.

How does the speaker propose categorizing films differently?

The speaker suggests categorizing films based on the emotional or psychological help they offer, rather than simply by genre. For example, a film could be rated based on its ability to help with anxiety or marital conflict.

What is the ultimate role of cinema according to the speaker?

The speaker believes that cinema, at its best, can serve as a guide to life, offering practical wisdom and helping audiences improve their emotional and moral well-being.

Outlines

00:00

🎬 The Therapeutic Power of Cinema

The paragraph discusses the profound impact of cinema as a cultural activity, comparing it to the significance of theater during Shakespeare's time and painting during the Renaissance. It emphasizes the emotional power of films and questions their societal purpose beyond mere entertainment. The text suggests that films should be seen as a form of therapy, addressing five key issues: self-pity, the consequences of small actions, the pursuit of glamour, the denial of common humanity, and the need for courage and self-assertion. The paragraph highlights how certain films can humorously depict our struggles, making us more understanding and compassionate. It also notes how films can accelerate time to show the outcomes of our actions, potentially making us more moral. Furthermore, it argues that cinema can correct our misguided sense of glamour and help us appreciate the beauty in everyday life. The paragraph concludes by advocating for a more nuanced classification of films based on their therapeutic benefits.

05:00

🌐 Cinema as a Bridge to Humanity

This paragraph delves into the role of cinema in reconnecting us with our sense of shared humanity. It points out how the media often alienates us from different cultures and people, leading to racism and arrogance. Cinema, however, has the power to humanize distant individuals and cultures, reminding us of our common bonds. The text also addresses the societal trend towards gentleness and compromise, suggesting that we have neglected the importance of courage and assertiveness. It argues for films that celebrate heroism and bravery, not just for the sake of storytelling but to inspire viewers to be more courageous in their own lives. The paragraph concludes by envisioning a future where films are recognized for their capacity to guide us through life's challenges, acting as more than mere entertainment but as profound philosophical tools.

Keywords

💡Cinema

Cinema is depicted in the video as a powerful cultural force, comparable to art forms like theater or painting. It is the most influential medium today, with the ability to induce deep emotions in its audience. The video explores how cinema can be therapeutic, guiding individuals through various personal struggles by offering insights into human behavior and societal issues.

💡Therapy

In the video, cinema is portrayed as a form of therapy. This concept suggests that films can provide emotional healing by addressing personal struggles, helping viewers gain clarity, and encouraging better behavior. For example, certain films help people deal with self-pity or frustration, enabling them to laugh at their challenges and be more compassionate.

💡Self-pity

Self-pity refers to the tendency to feel sorry for oneself when faced with life's difficulties. The video discusses how cinema can help individuals overcome this by portraying characters in similar situations who manage to navigate their challenges with humor, thus making us reflect on our own tendencies to take life too seriously.

💡Consequences

The concept of consequences is explored in relation to the idea that small, seemingly insignificant actions can lead to significant, life-changing results. The video suggests that films can demonstrate these outcomes in a compressed timeline, helping viewers understand the impact of their actions. For example, a film might show how a small lie leads to disastrous consequences, thus encouraging moral behavior.

💡Glamorization

Glamorization refers to the portrayal of something in an idealized, exaggerated manner. The video critiques how many films glamorize superficial or destructive aspects of life, leading audiences to feel dissatisfied with their own lives. However, it also highlights that cinema can portray the beauty in ordinary life, helping viewers appreciate their own reality.

💡Common humanity

Common humanity is the idea that, regardless of nationality or background, all humans share universal experiences. The video stresses how cinema can bridge cultural divides by showing the experiences of people in distant or unfamiliar places, thereby fostering empathy and reducing feelings of racism or coldness. Through cinema, we are reminded of our shared human experiences.

💡Heroism

Heroism in the video is presented as a key concept in helping individuals become more courageous and assertive. Cinema can inspire viewers by showing heroic figures who face challenges with bravery, not only to entertain but to teach important lessons about standing up for what's right, fighting for noble causes, and becoming more heroic in our own lives.

💡Emotional energy

Emotional energy refers to the feelings and empathy that are either drawn out or withheld by different experiences. The video critiques how modern media often withdraws emotional energy from certain groups of people, making us cold or indifferent. Cinema, however, can restore this energy by drawing attention to the lives of people we might otherwise ignore, reminding us of our shared humanity.

💡Vices

Vices are behaviors or habits that are considered immoral or harmful. The video emphasizes how films can help us recognize our vices and avoid them by offering clear examples of their negative consequences. Films can serve as a mirror, reflecting our flaws and encouraging us to make better choices in our own lives.

💡Guides to life

Guides to life refers to the idea that films can be more than just entertainment; they can serve as philosophical tools that offer valuable life lessons. The video advocates for a shift in how we view cinema, suggesting that films should be categorized not just by genre but by how they help us address specific personal challenges, like dealing with anxiety or resolving marital conflict.

Highlights

Cinema is considered the most prestigious cultural activity in the modern world.

Film has an astonishing power to induce emotion.

Films are often seen as a means to pass the time or for entertainment, not for serious causes.

Films should be more accurately understood for their actual impact on our lives.

Films can be a form of therapy, addressing key problems in our lives.

Comedies can help us deal with self-pity by finding humor in our struggles.

Films can show the consequences of small actions to encourage honesty and morality.

Cinema has the power to glamorize and can highlight the charm in everyday life.

Films can counteract media-induced disenchantment and remind us of our common humanity.

Films can inspire courage and self-assertion, teaching us the importance of standing up for what is right.

Cinema can help us appreciate what we already have and re-engage with our lives.

Films can be educational, teaching us through the examples of heroic characters.

Cinema should be more systematically used to offer help with the real business of living.

Film classification should reflect the psychological and emotional benefits a film provides.

Films can direct our feelings of sympathy and offer comfort for our fears.

Films can correct our sense of what is normal and guide us towards good conduct.

Society should view films as more than just entertainment; they are guides to life and applied philosophy.

Transcripts

Cinema is the most prestigious cultural activity in the modern world.

It is for us what theater was in the age of Shakespeare,

or painting was in the days of Leonardo DaVinci.

The art form with the biggest impact, the largest budgets,

and the most widespread audiences.

Collectively, we recognize that film has an astonishing power to induce emotion.

But it would sound weird to stop and ask what film was really for,

what purpose it serves in our societies,

and why we spent so much time in its presence.

We don't generally think of films are serving any very strenuous or serious cause.

We ask for a lot of nice but not terribly lasting things of films,

to while away the hours of a long flight,

to keep the family together on the sofa,

to give us a bit of a thrill.

This is a great loss for us and for cinema itself.

We should try to pin down more accurately what films actually do for us,

then make sure we're reliably making and finding our way to see the best,

that is, the most useful kinds of things.

We would ideally accept that film, like all the other art forms,

best reveals its power, when we conceive of it as a kind of therapy.

Let's consider five key problems and how films can help us with them.

We're understandably prone to self-pity.

We get ground down and frustrated by the problems life throws at us,

and we tend to react by getting ever more stern and serious.

Certain films can beautifully address this natural tendency,

when they show us people not too different from ourselves,

in difficult situations, except very much unlike us.

These films play our pains for laughs.

They seek the absurd side,

the exact things that really great with excessive seriousness.

At their best, there's nothing trivial about these comedies at all.

They take on the momentous task

of sweetly etching us towards being slightly nicer people to live around.

2. We're not careful enough

Sometimes in life, an action that seems quite small,

goes on to have enormous consequences.

You tell a little lie. You steal a tiny bit.

You’re a bit dishonest with someone.

You get a bit lustful and carried away just once,

and then from this, catastrophe ensues.

Films can help us by speeding up time, and showing us in a matter of hours,

fearsome result of what we might originally thought of as small failings.

Film can push the consequences to the maximum.

By witnessing horror and disaster

it can make us want to be the kind of person,

who is a touch more forthright, and little more honest and moral,

readier to face an unpleasant moment now and (thereby) head off a distant disaster.

We leave the cinema, less inclined to be self-righteous about the failings of others

scared for ourselves and more respectful towards things we hold dear.

It might sound odd,

but it's usually very healthy and helpful,

to feel that one's life is a bit special,

deserving of admiration and respect, a little glamorous.

But very often the opposite is the case.

Glamour lies elsewhere, in the lives of the famous in swankier parts of town,

in activities and jobs far removed from our own.

Film has an enormous power to glamorize.

It can put in front of our eyes delightful images, many meters in size,

shot an extraordinary colors, vivid and immediate.

Because so many films glamorize the wrong things,

we used to thinking that an element of alienation and corruption is a generic,

rather than incidental danger of cinema.

But in fact, film is well able to show us the less obvious,

but real charms of everyday life.

Whereas the worst sort of films eject us back into our lives,

full of longing and disenchantment,

the best ones leave us ready to re-engage with circumstances,

with which we had unfairly grown bored.

Cinema can help us love and appreciate what we already have.

It's not entirely our own fault.

The media is to blame for much of it.

Because it tells us about categories of people we want nothing to do with,

places that seem frightening, bizarre, unremittingly depressing.

We going to think we're not at all interested in people in Iran or Venezuela.

Our disenchantment make it expressed as racism, arrogance, or just plain coldness.

Ultimately, what we suffer from is a denial of our common humanity.

Cinema can perfectly compensated for this withdrawal of emotional energy,

by showing us the appeal of people far away,

we'd otherwise be completely uninterested in.

With the highest artistry,

we're reminded of an obvious but so easily forgotten fact.

Our membership of the family of humanity.

We've gone so far down the track of teaching ourselves

about the importance of gentleness and compromise.

Many of us have unwittingly develop problems around courage and self-assertion.

Decent people have learned so well to suppress their own appetite for a fight,

their own desire for victory.

But in a world where conflict is unavoidable,

good people sometimes need to strengthen their willingness to face down opposition,

not always to compromise and play it safe,

but to take risks, to get out and fight, to relish victory,

and to be a bit more ruthless in the service of noble and deeply important ends.

Sometimes, it's not enough just to be right.

You also need to win so some of us might well benefit from seeing films,

that tell tales of heroism to follow someone who has to navigate the world,

kill a dragon, outwit some baddies.

The film shouldn’t ideally leave us just in awe at the daring of another person.

It should do that for most valuable thing.

Educate us by example,

so that we too become just a little more heroic and brave where we need to be.

Cinema, as we currently know it,

is not a million miles away from doing wonderful things.

But in order to help with the real business of living,

we need this hugely compelling and powerful art form

to set out in a more determined and systematic way

to offer us the help we really need.

The way we categorize films should ideally get a little bit more subtle.

Rather than say something was merely a thriller or comedy,

we'd put the accent on what these genres might achieve for their audiences.

Instead of suggesting that one needs to be above a particular age to watch a film,

the government classification board would see its primary task is

that of helping a film to reach the audience it could best help.

Thus a film might be rated A,

meaning that it was regarded as being particularly good at getting us to

address and cope with anxiety.

Or it could have an MC rating,

meaning that it was of benefit to those experiencing marital conflict.

Films can do so much for us.

They better direct our feelings of sympathy.

They offer comfort for our unmanageable fears.

They correct an unworkable sense of what is normal.

They edge us towards good conduct.

They caution, and arm us against our folly and vices.

We should, as society, be ready to see them as more than just entertainment.

They are, at their best, guides to life and pieces of spectacular applied philosophy.