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Societal pressure
Sep. 11th, 2005 03:38 pmNetflix has a fun little mechanism where you can rate the movies you've seen - basically state you loved, really liked, liked, didn't like or hated. My ratings are based on whether I'd want to see the movie again and again (loved), wouldn't mind seeing again (really liked), enjoyed it, but once is enough (liked), did not enjoy but watchable (didn't like), barely made it through it or found unwatchable (hated) - with fluctuations based on mood. Not that you care or anything.
At any rate as I was doing it, I realized something, some movies I found myself rating higher not because I liked them but because I felt an odd societal pressure to like them. Personally if I were completely honest with myself, I found the movie dull and uninvolving. While I could appreciate the cinematic tricks and lighting that made it brilliant in someone else's eyes, it did not resonate for me. Same thing is true about books or even tv shows - this sense of societal pressure. Also discovering it in day to day actions, decisions, foods, clothing, everything in ordinary life. To the extent that there are times like today for instance in which I desperately want to turn off the opinions of society, like turning off the TV set. Feeling much like a child starring up at my parents stating, damn it, I don't care if peas are good for me, they are gross or I don't care if all the other kids adore french fries, I can't abide them. (Interesting tid-bit, Kidbro and I hated french fries when we were little, it became an acquired taste for both of us - ie, we learned to like them as adults, but as kids we didn't. I can't help but wonder if that acquired taste was somehow influenced by the people around us? Maybe not, I still despise ketchup on most things. Only thing I'll put it on is hamburgers and hotdogs. Prefer mustard.
As an aside, I miss hamburgers and hotdogs on buns...going gluten-free is not as easy as it looks, you do miss things. And restaurants are killer - went to a mexican one the other day with Wales, we ordered nachos with quacamola. Should be safe, right? Corn chips, right? Even asked the bloody waitress. But guess what, they've made a lighter low-fat chip with wheat flour, it's fluffier. Hard to find by looking. Wales figured it out eating one, so I spent about fifteen minutes sorting through the chips hunting for the heavier ones which must be corn and disregarding the fluffy ones. Annoying to say the least.)
At any rate, societal pressure...( Read more... )
A poem:
i thank you God for this most amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a true blue dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes
(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday; this is the birth
day of life and love and wings, and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)
e. e. cummings
On september 11, 2005 that's how I feel. A beautiful two days. One spent on the grass in the park with Wales chatting. One spent lounging in my apartment today. Reading, writing, watching, listening to kids playing outside and seeing the broad expanse of blue in the sky. September 11 weather Wales called it yesterday, for it is the same weather we had on that day, weather we felt mocked us. I have more in some ways than I did then.
And less in others. Since the thing about life is you gain and lose a bit with every passing day, the trick I think is knowing what is gained and lost and taking some role and/or responsibility in the choosing.
At any rate as I was doing it, I realized something, some movies I found myself rating higher not because I liked them but because I felt an odd societal pressure to like them. Personally if I were completely honest with myself, I found the movie dull and uninvolving. While I could appreciate the cinematic tricks and lighting that made it brilliant in someone else's eyes, it did not resonate for me. Same thing is true about books or even tv shows - this sense of societal pressure. Also discovering it in day to day actions, decisions, foods, clothing, everything in ordinary life. To the extent that there are times like today for instance in which I desperately want to turn off the opinions of society, like turning off the TV set. Feeling much like a child starring up at my parents stating, damn it, I don't care if peas are good for me, they are gross or I don't care if all the other kids adore french fries, I can't abide them. (Interesting tid-bit, Kidbro and I hated french fries when we were little, it became an acquired taste for both of us - ie, we learned to like them as adults, but as kids we didn't. I can't help but wonder if that acquired taste was somehow influenced by the people around us? Maybe not, I still despise ketchup on most things. Only thing I'll put it on is hamburgers and hotdogs. Prefer mustard.
As an aside, I miss hamburgers and hotdogs on buns...going gluten-free is not as easy as it looks, you do miss things. And restaurants are killer - went to a mexican one the other day with Wales, we ordered nachos with quacamola. Should be safe, right? Corn chips, right? Even asked the bloody waitress. But guess what, they've made a lighter low-fat chip with wheat flour, it's fluffier. Hard to find by looking. Wales figured it out eating one, so I spent about fifteen minutes sorting through the chips hunting for the heavier ones which must be corn and disregarding the fluffy ones. Annoying to say the least.)
At any rate, societal pressure...( Read more... )
A poem:
i thank you God for this most amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a true blue dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes
(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday; this is the birth
day of life and love and wings, and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)
e. e. cummings
On september 11, 2005 that's how I feel. A beautiful two days. One spent on the grass in the park with Wales chatting. One spent lounging in my apartment today. Reading, writing, watching, listening to kids playing outside and seeing the broad expanse of blue in the sky. September 11 weather Wales called it yesterday, for it is the same weather we had on that day, weather we felt mocked us. I have more in some ways than I did then.
And less in others. Since the thing about life is you gain and lose a bit with every passing day, the trick I think is knowing what is gained and lost and taking some role and/or responsibility in the choosing.
