Hollywood of the hills

Hollywood maybe be the cray-cray pool of inspiration where imaginative writers craft unique stories, it’s also where dreams are not just built, but watered and nurtured to become the illusion of reality that we are fed to think that’s what our lives should look like. Through the prism of TV series and movies, reality shows and talk shows, as well as televised quiz shows, all carefully designed, scripted, and filmed (yeah, even reality shows where cheating spouses were “exposed”), we are given a standard to compare ourselves, our lives and achievements too, and feel a certain way about it. Usually, bad or depressed…. thank you very much, hollyfriggin’wood, now’s time for my anti-depressant…… So that we can consume more “happy content” (solid, visual, liquid, powder, smoke…) and forget about our own life, goals, and dreams.

Hollywood also fiercely fences itself within its own glam distortions of basic decency and respect for ethics. Arrogantly, Hollywood showed its true nature from the early days on with gigantic wood letters perched on the mountains surrounding this well of unfathomable wealth (but not everybody can drink from it). The very location of the Hollywood sign screams: “I’m above you, you’ll never reach the top unless I decide so, on my terms.”

Interestingly those terms have been exposed in recent years, but with various reception. And the script, the visual storytelling, the cast, and the score permeate society invisibly, changing rules, making rules, making us accept things or deem them “the standard” (I don’t like the word “Normal” which annihilates the possibility of something different to be welcomed as an ok and a viable alternative), when they are not. Another form of coercion or violence that one has to accept in order to get a job or become toast. (Ask Brendan Fraser)

Hollywood of the limelights

Hollywood is also where the lights of the city blind anyone with bling and fake happiness, displayed on glossy photoshopped snapshots in magazines.

Hollywood of the quiet brainwashing of minds

In the name of “creativity”, many things have been filmed and fed to the masses, that serve no purpose other than instilling fear or rage. Or plant ideas that glamorize violence. It’s done on a massive scale, it’s done in technicolor and large screen, with HD sound, the best cast and crew, and more FX than we can think of… It’s more or less subtle… It’s called …brainwashing.

I recall here the chef Olivier Rollinger, who was one evening beaten to death by teens after they had watched Clockwork Orange, just because they had watched it and wanted to unleash their violence onto someone. He was left for dead, badly injured, bruised with a broken nose. Because Hollywood gives itself full license and freedom to do anything and everything (porn is also made there), because morals are deemed to be outdated or a sign of bigotry, movies explore human behaviors and the human psyche with a fresh approach.

Yet, do we need to see horrendous things happening on a large screen, thus engorging our brains with unfiltered horror?

Hollywood of the unapologetic spreading of violence

Violence begets violence, exposure to violence, and the ensuing degradation of our senses as to what is acceptable and what’s not erodes our sense of compassion and respect for others. We are left with a bruised sense of self-respect and respect for this fragile yet wonderful thing: life.

Who can think it’s beneficial for any of us?

Numerous medical studies have shown it’s not innocuous.

When the only resort for angry people is reaching for a gun and killing kids in schools, what does it say about society?

When words cannot express their inner feelings, because they are not shown that’s what to do, and because a gun does it “better” for them, because it’s been seen countless times on screens, isn’t time for a deeper reflection?

When will Hollywood clean its act for good and take full responsibility?

It won’t, because violence, and guns, sell. And it sells because we have been groomed into thinking it’s a better movie with the supposed thrill of a gun being drawn, at some point. Or the potential of it happening. Even some “family movies” such as “Home Alone” feature guns. (Am I the only one to be shocked by that?). And we’ve been shown, that it’s a “normal thing” (= as in “it’s the norm”). Well, it’s not and shouldn’t have become an accepted standard.

The glamorization of gangsters in the 30’s, alongside the renewed lease on supposedly”loveable” bad boys who suck at getting a proper meaningful life, but who are swift to produce a GUN, is still going strong in Hollywood (think no further than moronic Han Solo and his pathetic line to Leia “You love bad boys” and how he grossly ignores her rebuttal of his unsolicited advances, what a jerk, really). Notwithstanding the killing of women or girls, in countless legal or detective dramas/series. (it’s still nauseating really, to see the proportion of females, in comparison to males, being killed in order to “create entertainment”, haven’t those misogynistic or revengeful (for whatever reason) writers not heard of #metoo? or basic respect for the other half of the population?)

Since 1950, gun violence in movies produced in Hollywood has doubled in proportion. Mass shootings have been increasing accordingly too.

From Hollywood to Anytown, USA

Deaths by firearms (mass-shooting, individual shooting, suicide) are not showing any decrease. Coward politicians refuse to tackle the debate, and thus, there’s been no debate about 2nd amendment since the shooting at Sandy Hook, basically.

/www.politifact.com states that : “there have been 1,516,863 gun-related deaths since 1968, compared to 1,396,733 cumulative war deaths since the American Revolution. That’s 120,130 more gun deaths than war deaths — about 9 percent more, or nearly four typical years worth of gun deaths.” 

According to those one-cell-brain-shared-among-themselves politicians, prayers, apparently, are the best protection against bullets from the semi-automatic AR-15 and their magazines of +40 ammo of 39mm. It’s also, incidentally, the rifle endorsed by the NRA as “America’s rifle”. NRA too will send their prayers, if you lose a child or a loved one to one of their fave rifles (that also happens to be the fave rifle of shooters).

No overexposure to violence and no access to guns equals less harm by arms. QED.

No (or less than 2) school shootings in Europe countries in the past 30 years. USA gun homicide rate is 25 times higher than other high-income countries.

Why? because 1stly, no easy access to firearms, and 2ndly, a lesser proportion of movies featuring arms are distributed in theatres, 3rdly, no right to kill, (according to a marvelous – but obsolete in some areas- document, yet in need of an update, clearly).

So. Every parent now asks themselves, WHEN will the next shooting happen (fatalism), when they should be worried IF a shooting MIGHT happen (frightening but rarely occurring possibility).

Big difference.

Let me be clear, no amount of prayers and turning to God (what shitty bigotry is that?) can stop firearms from being fired at innocent kids.

And it should be, of course, that no one fears going to school or in any public place… but I live in America, and I have kids, so I don’t have this luxury of peace of mind.

Just as a matter of irony, the NRA is holding its annual conference this weekend here in Houston, with tcruz and illiterate orange 45 in attendance, as if nothing has happened. Musicians supposed to sing this weekend have canceled their gig. It took this one more shooting for them to cancel, they were ok with all the previous ones, apparently…

If prayers are needed, it is for those criminals to be tried and jailed or see the light eventually and advocate against arms in households.

(according to http://www.massshootingtracker.site, there’s been 4635 mass shootings since 1/1/2013).