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Hollywood depicting an universal culture? Far from it. At first I was thinking high school bullies were something Stephen King always added to his books. Then

by Shorel 6y ago

Hollywood depicting an universal culture? Far from it. At first I was thinking high school bullies were something Stephen King always added to his books. Then I realized high school bullies were something Hollywood always added to plots, even when it had no reason whatsoever to be there. Sadly, this has become more like culture contamination. In highschool I never saw bullies. Now they are more common, because of that Hollywood influence. So, how much of that universal culture is a reflection of the world, and how much is just Hollywood pushing their own culture over the world? The same with racism. As someone from South America, I find the racism in USA extremely pathological and not at all similar to what I experience in real life.

AndrewUnmuted 6y ago
> I find the racism in USA extremely pathological and not at all similar to what I experience in real life. Are you saying that the obsession with racism in the USA is what's pathological? Or that USA's portrayal of it in media is pathological?
- Scarblac 6y ago
  (I am not the same person as the one you replied to) The racism debate in the USA is mostly centered on two groups, "blacks" and "whites" (and "asian", but I'll ignore them for now). Jim Crow laws said that a child of "mixed" (one black, one white) parent themselves count as "black". So you have people with quite light skin who are considered "black" and experience racism directed at "black" people. I consider seeing everything through that black/white lens to be pathological. There is a huge amount of racism elsewhere in the world, probably even more than in the USA, but it's not along the same lines. Which is why it was so jarring when the "black lives matter" protests spread around the world. In the Netherlands there is quite some racism, but it's directed at Moroccans, Turks, Eastern Europeans, Chinese, and black people, usually of Surinamese descent, all in slightly different ways. The division in black/white makes no sense. The term "people of colour" got imported from the US but racism here is also directed at Poles who are as white as the Dutch are. The result is oversimplification of our own racism problem, along American lines that aren't relevant here.
  - AndrewUnmuted 6y ago
    I am surprised you even took the time to answer, since my desire for clarity was seen as a negative influence on the community and was downvoted. Only a community like this would pretend to actually value intellectual growth and foster an environment where asking a question is seen as worthy of downvoting. By the way, your characterization of racism in the united states is remarkably narrow, non-historic, and sophomoric in nature. The idea that racism in the US could be put into three categories - let alone two - is offensive and deeply inaccurate. You have it not even partially correct. Go back to the drawing board.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
imilk 6y ago
> The same with racism. As someone from South America, I find the racism in USA extremely pathological and not at all similar to what I experience in real life. I'm not really sure what you're trying to say here. But if you're saying racism in America is overblown, you couldn't be more wrong.
mgoetzke 6y ago
The bullies example seems spot on. I do not know why, even if it were true, it always and predictably needs to be portrayed in TV/movies. It normalizes bad behavior and will move people towards a world were this is deemed normal. It is not, and never should be.
- astrange 6y ago
  School bullies already sort of don't exist anymore. They went away along with the enormous drop in violent crime in the US in the 90s, probably caused by everyone not having lead poisoning. Instead GenZ tries to cancel each other on tumblr or something.
Scarblac 6y ago
Also the idea that depicting guns and violence is normal, but nudity absolutely isn't, is very Hollywood.
- GekkePrutser 6y ago
  Yes, luckily this isn't as bad in European cinema and TV. Though the ratings boards have become a lot stricter here too, sadly. Some movies that were made in the Netherlands in the 80s would fare pretty badly now :P Like https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105999/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105999/ In those days pretty explicit (but not actual!) sex in movies was so prevalent it was almost a trope of its own. Exposed breasts at the very least :) I don't think that would fly now without an 18+ rating.

by Shorel 6y ago

AndrewUnmuted 6y ago

> I find the racism in USA extremely pathological and not at all similar to what I experience in real life. Are you saying that the obsession with racism in the USA is what's pathological? Or that USA's portrayal of it in media is pathological?

Scarblac 6y ago
(I am not the same person as the one you replied to) The racism debate in the USA is mostly centered on two groups, "blacks" and "whites" (and "asian", but I'll ignore them for now). Jim Crow laws said that a child of "mixed" (one black, one white) parent themselves count as "black". So you have people with quite light skin who are considered "black" and experience racism directed at "black" people. I consider seeing everything through that black/white lens to be pathological. There is a huge amount of racism elsewhere in the world, probably even more than in the USA, but it's not along the same lines. Which is why it was so jarring when the "black lives matter" protests spread around the world. In the Netherlands there is quite some racism, but it's directed at Moroccans, Turks, Eastern Europeans, Chinese, and black people, usually of Surinamese descent, all in slightly different ways. The division in black/white makes no sense. The term "people of colour" got imported from the US but racism here is also directed at Poles who are as white as the Dutch are. The result is oversimplification of our own racism problem, along American lines that aren't relevant here.
- AndrewUnmuted 6y ago
  I am surprised you even took the time to answer, since my desire for clarity was seen as a negative influence on the community and was downvoted. Only a community like this would pretend to actually value intellectual growth and foster an environment where asking a question is seen as worthy of downvoting. By the way, your characterization of racism in the united states is remarkably narrow, non-historic, and sophomoric in nature. The idea that racism in the US could be put into three categories - let alone two - is offensive and deeply inaccurate. You have it not even partially correct. Go back to the drawing board.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]

imilk 6y ago

> The same with racism. As someone from South America, I find the racism in USA extremely pathological and not at all similar to what I experience in real life. I'm not really sure what you're trying to say here. But if you're saying racism in America is overblown, you couldn't be more wrong.

mgoetzke 6y ago

The bullies example seems spot on. I do not know why, even if it were true, it always and predictably needs to be portrayed in TV/movies. It normalizes bad behavior and will move people towards a world were this is deemed normal. It is not, and never should be.

astrange 6y ago
School bullies already sort of don't exist anymore. They went away along with the enormous drop in violent crime in the US in the 90s, probably caused by everyone not having lead poisoning. Instead GenZ tries to cancel each other on tumblr or something.

Scarblac 6y ago

Also the idea that depicting guns and violence is normal, but nudity absolutely isn't, is very Hollywood.

GekkePrutser 6y ago
Yes, luckily this isn't as bad in European cinema and TV. Though the ratings boards have become a lot stricter here too, sadly. Some movies that were made in the Netherlands in the 80s would fare pretty badly now :P Like https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105999/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105999/ In those days pretty explicit (but not actual!) sex in movies was so prevalent it was almost a trope of its own. Exposed breasts at the very least :) I don't think that would fly now without an 18+ rating.