Hollywood, the Narrative Entertainment Industry, and the Broken Amygdala
We've all seen the plot trope. A purported danger approaches the protagonists. They're scared. What to do? One of them thinks they should take an aggressive action. Another thinks they should not and has some alternative idea. The (usually) man advocating the former is unattractive, irrational, having undeserved power. The (usually) woman advocating the latter is attractive, rational, unfairly subordinate. The advocate of aggression is later proven wrong. Disaster ensues. A character arch plays out as the (usually) woman rises to power and resolves the conflict revealed to have been the result of the (usually) man's aggression as opposed to the initial danger in and of itself. How many movies or shows can you think of that fit this narrative? How few can you think of that do not follow some iteration of this narrative?
Why do Hollywood and the Narrative Entertainment Industry (NEI) push this familiar story oh so often? The NEI is unquestionably of the left (and effectively so) [*1]. The leftist's brain has a smaller threat sensor, amygdala, which frames his perspective of how to resolve conflicts [*2]. Of course, he wouldn't see it as smaller. He'd see it as the sane size relative to the overactive amygdala of the rightist who finds danger (irrationally) in everything.
Imagine an animal coming through your window. Do you approach it? Or do you take a defensive posture? One mindset sees a kitten. The other sees a grizzly bear. Defense against the kitten is unwarranted, perhaps immoral if resulting in harm. Reaching out to pet the bear, on the other hand, results in a missing other hand followed by your conversion into a red stain on the floor.
The weakened amygdala's frame is more inclined to see the kitten. The strengthened amygdala's frame is more inclined to see the grizzly. Pretending to see the kitten when reality proves a bear reveals a broken amygdala. It's only in the realm of fiction this narrative can be sustained. Considering the left's relative predisposition toward a weaker amygdala, it soon becomes clear why the NEI enjoys writing the kind of narratives they do. The enemy is rarely a grizzly but, instead, the fellow who attacked something more like a defenseless kitten because he irrationally saw a grizzly.
This all, of course, is counter to narratives told traditionally [*3]. Wouldn't a story akin to the naïve fool who pet the bear and had his arm torn off [*4], at the very least, be a refreshing change of pace? Enjoyment of such a narrative is strongly discouraged. Alas, the NEI's weak amygdala mindset dominates the free time of the populace and filters how we decide politics [*5].
We now see how the NEI frames the agenda for the left. Want less immigration? You're a xenophobe who doesn't appreciate the benefits in bringing in diverse cultures. Want stricter means tests for government benefits? You're some other ist/ite/or -obe that wants to punish people who are victims of circumstance as opposed to people who made bad choices. Want proof of ID to vote? You're an ist/ite-or -obe that wants to stop people from voting. People engage with the NEI far more than they consume news [*6]. When they do consume news, their perspective is inevitably colored by the NEI.
But perhaps the NEI has been pushing this trope for too long. People are getting bored with it [*7]. Changes are on the horizon as our Chinese overlords buy in [*8]. Perhaps the Chinese will pivot the narrative, as they clearly find it as annoying as we do [*9]. The right may not have its own version of the NEI. Any infiltrators to the existing one are quickly stamped out [*10]. But we can point out how boring and overdone the current narrative is. People don't like to be behind the times. No need to point out politics in the NEI or complain about lefties that have subverted it. Perhaps the kindling for change sparks with us explaining to the regular folk how cliché this narrative has become.
The NEI controls the public mindset by being the only party in town. How do you get the people to leave the party when you don't have one of your own to invite them to? Complaining about the host looks petty. Perhaps it starts with pointing out how mundane the party is becoming to all the guests.
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[*1] https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/study-says-movies-really-can-change-your-political-views-to-be-more-liberal/article16242477/
http://www.motherjones.com/mixed-media/2014/01/hollywood-movies-change-political-views-more-liberal-study
[*2] Read the book: https://www.amazon.com/r-k-selection-theory/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Ar%20k%20selection%20theory Or read a sample: http://www.anonymousconservative.com/blog/return-to-anonymousconservative-com/chapter-fifteen/
[*3] https://muse.jhu.edu/article/246308/pdf
[*4] http://www.thegunrack.org/index.php?threads/angry-birds-movie-holds-a-very-conservative-message-about-immigration.2880/
[*5] https://www.princeton.edu/~mprior/Prior2005.News%20v%20Entertainment.AJPS.pdf
[*6] https://www.princeton.edu/~mprior/Prior2005.News%20v%20Entertainment.AJPS.pdf
[*7] http://www.tfp.org/millennials-dont-follow-liberal-narrative/ / http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-hollywood-values-updates-20170105-htmlstory.html
[*8] http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2016/11/18/Why-China-May-Soon-Decide-What-Movies-You-See / https://www.spectator.co.uk/2017/04/the-new-battleground-between-china-and-america-hollywood/
[*8] https://www.opendemocracy.net/digitaliberties/chenchen-zhang/curious-rise-of-white-left-as-chinese-internet-insult / http://voxday.blogspot.com/2017/05/chinese-for-sjw.html
[*10] http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2017/05/17/tim-allen-stunned-and-blindsided-by-abcs-decision-to-cancel-last-man-standing.print.html
#dialectic #Hollywood #NEI
Why do Hollywood and the Narrative Entertainment Industry (NEI) push this familiar story oh so often? The NEI is unquestionably of the left (and effectively so) [*1]. The leftist's brain has a smaller threat sensor, amygdala, which frames his perspective of how to resolve conflicts [*2]. Of course, he wouldn't see it as smaller. He'd see it as the sane size relative to the overactive amygdala of the rightist who finds danger (irrationally) in everything.
Imagine an animal coming through your window. Do you approach it? Or do you take a defensive posture? One mindset sees a kitten. The other sees a grizzly bear. Defense against the kitten is unwarranted, perhaps immoral if resulting in harm. Reaching out to pet the bear, on the other hand, results in a missing other hand followed by your conversion into a red stain on the floor.
The weakened amygdala's frame is more inclined to see the kitten. The strengthened amygdala's frame is more inclined to see the grizzly. Pretending to see the kitten when reality proves a bear reveals a broken amygdala. It's only in the realm of fiction this narrative can be sustained. Considering the left's relative predisposition toward a weaker amygdala, it soon becomes clear why the NEI enjoys writing the kind of narratives they do. The enemy is rarely a grizzly but, instead, the fellow who attacked something more like a defenseless kitten because he irrationally saw a grizzly.
This all, of course, is counter to narratives told traditionally [*3]. Wouldn't a story akin to the naïve fool who pet the bear and had his arm torn off [*4], at the very least, be a refreshing change of pace? Enjoyment of such a narrative is strongly discouraged. Alas, the NEI's weak amygdala mindset dominates the free time of the populace and filters how we decide politics [*5].
We now see how the NEI frames the agenda for the left. Want less immigration? You're a xenophobe who doesn't appreciate the benefits in bringing in diverse cultures. Want stricter means tests for government benefits? You're some other ist/ite/or -obe that wants to punish people who are victims of circumstance as opposed to people who made bad choices. Want proof of ID to vote? You're an ist/ite-or -obe that wants to stop people from voting. People engage with the NEI far more than they consume news [*6]. When they do consume news, their perspective is inevitably colored by the NEI.
But perhaps the NEI has been pushing this trope for too long. People are getting bored with it [*7]. Changes are on the horizon as our Chinese overlords buy in [*8]. Perhaps the Chinese will pivot the narrative, as they clearly find it as annoying as we do [*9]. The right may not have its own version of the NEI. Any infiltrators to the existing one are quickly stamped out [*10]. But we can point out how boring and overdone the current narrative is. People don't like to be behind the times. No need to point out politics in the NEI or complain about lefties that have subverted it. Perhaps the kindling for change sparks with us explaining to the regular folk how cliché this narrative has become.
The NEI controls the public mindset by being the only party in town. How do you get the people to leave the party when you don't have one of your own to invite them to? Complaining about the host looks petty. Perhaps it starts with pointing out how mundane the party is becoming to all the guests.
--
[*1] https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/study-says-movies-really-can-change-your-political-views-to-be-more-liberal/article16242477/
http://www.motherjones.com/mixed-media/2014/01/hollywood-movies-change-political-views-more-liberal-study
[*2] Read the book: https://www.amazon.com/r-k-selection-theory/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Ar%20k%20selection%20theory Or read a sample: http://www.anonymousconservative.com/blog/return-to-anonymousconservative-com/chapter-fifteen/
[*3] https://muse.jhu.edu/article/246308/pdf
[*4] http://www.thegunrack.org/index.php?threads/angry-birds-movie-holds-a-very-conservative-message-about-immigration.2880/
[*5] https://www.princeton.edu/~mprior/Prior2005.News%20v%20Entertainment.AJPS.pdf
[*6] https://www.princeton.edu/~mprior/Prior2005.News%20v%20Entertainment.AJPS.pdf
[*7] http://www.tfp.org/millennials-dont-follow-liberal-narrative/ / http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-hollywood-values-updates-20170105-htmlstory.html
[*8] http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2016/11/18/Why-China-May-Soon-Decide-What-Movies-You-See / https://www.spectator.co.uk/2017/04/the-new-battleground-between-china-and-america-hollywood/
[*8] https://www.opendemocracy.net/digitaliberties/chenchen-zhang/curious-rise-of-white-left-as-chinese-internet-insult / http://voxday.blogspot.com/2017/05/chinese-for-sjw.html
[*10] http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2017/05/17/tim-allen-stunned-and-blindsided-by-abcs-decision-to-cancel-last-man-standing.print.html
#dialectic #Hollywood #NEI
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