Jul 07 2008
Self Expression and The Lack Thereof
As a writer, the art of self expression is the primary driving force of my being. However, I have been made shockingly aware of the absolute lack of self expression in the modern world. More and more as we are taught to be a world of cookie cutter wannabies of whatever the current trends tell us to be, there seems to be little room for genuine self expression. But what worries me even more, is that because of this, it seems like so many people have lost, or perhaps never acquired, the ability to express themselves, indeed to even be themselves.
This seems to be true, even among the creative world where you would expect to see originality and true creativity. Take the movie industry for example, it seems that, with few rare exceptions, they keep rehashing the same sleazy, unintelligent plots that lack any originality or true artistic expression or they are simply remaking movies of yesteryear and usually doing a very poor job of it. I have noticed a lot of the same trends in other fields as well such as architecture, especially where housing is concerned, literature, magazines, even in cell phones and electronics where the only real creative twists seem to be coming from Japan.
As a mother, I find this trend troublesome. I want my children, in fact all children, to learn how to see the world around them in a vibrantly unique way, to take pride in the things that make them individuals and to freely find ways to express that in whatever they do. And most of all, I want them to be able to think for themselves without merely following the crowd, to be independent and to make real choices for themselves to shape their world, not just go along with the status quo.
Few people seem to take the initiative to really make the world around them their own; to think for themselves and to joyously express that individuality. So I can not help but wonder if the muses have abandoned us…or if we have simply stopped listening to their call.
2 Responses to “Self Expression and The Lack Thereof”
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On the whole I agree with you where the movie industry is concerned. There are a few voices out there that are going in new directions. But do not always discount remakes. Yes, I am against them, but they can also bring something new to the medium. Take for example the 1959 “Ben Hur.” Would you choose the original silent version made in 1907 over Charelton Heston? I wouldn’t, any more than I would choose one of the many poorly made versions of “Count of Monte Cristo”, in which the title is the only thing taken from the book, over the fairly recently made mini-series starring Gerard Depardieu. If asked I could not choose between Depardieu or Jose Ferrer as Cyrano DeBergerac.
I do understand you are talking about the formulaic crap out there taken from video games and cartoon series and I absolutely agree with you about that. “Transformers” was, I am certain, a huge financial success, and that is where decisions get made, at the bottom line. But I also know what you are looking for is out there. I find it on NetFlix, and at small independent movie theaters, and film festivals. I am lucky to have access to all three where I live.
As to creativity in children, my wife is a teacher, special ed, and she tries to teach art when the school budget allows for it. The sad fact is that the arts are the first thing to go when budgets get cut. She has had to go out into the community and “pan-handle” for donations, or offer the services of her students for community projects. And there is a sad lack of parental presence in my wife’s school, or support of any kind.
In a school system that is based on the No Child Left Behind system the only standard that can be reached for is the least common denominator, and too many kids will not make the effort to go beyond that unless they are pushed to it from home. The best students I have seen or heard about are those being home schooled, and in an economy where it is hard enough to survive in a two income household, where is there room for that? Take all these elements together and what you end up with is teachers as baby sitters. Which does not in any way reduce the burden on them from having to get master’s degrees, and attend trainings, or take classes in their “spare time” to learn how to do things they do every day from people who, to put it simply, don’t.
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I will avoid any further comments about movies since my view of the industry as a whole is, shall we say, less than favorable.
I will however, comment on the issues of kids and schools. I do not think that artistic self expression should be on the school’s agenda…I am not saying that artistic endeavors should not encouraged and pursued in academic settings, merely that teaching your child how to be him or herself and expressing that with whatever G_D given talents they have is one of the first and fundamental roles of a parent. And I just find it sad that, as you pointed out, so many people are refusing to really be parents and placing the entire burden for raising the next generation on the school system. I would even argue that the “lowest common denominator” is exactly what the powers at be want, since it makes it much easier to control the masses of mediocracy is much easier to control and contain and people in general today seem to be allergic to thinking for themselves.
On the homeschooling note, as a mother myself and a huge supporter of homeschooling, I say it is the only real way to truly educate our children in today’s world. As far as the issue of how many families can actually do that…I would argue that most(granted perhaps not all) could quite easily. The only reason that most families require two incomes is because of our obsession with materialism. As parents, our children’s well being should be far more important than a luxury car or hundred dollar suit. Our obsession with something as meaningless as money and with “stuff” over the value of our families and spending true quality time at home is steadily destroying this world, both literally and figuratively.
If parents put their children and their families first, and if society recognized, encouraged, and even supported the efforts of stay at home mothers, anyone who wanted to could easily stay at home, homeschool, and be a real parent. And for those rare exceptions where it would not be possible, with a single parent for example, if we offered more help and incentive for these mothers and focused less on the almighty dollar, we could all benefit in ways that are far more valuable than a worthless green piece of paper.