Hollywood’s ONE Message
If one surveys the output of America’s movie industry (which I will refer to by the generic “Hollywood”) one sees a plethora of subjects.
Comic books brought to life appear to be a ubiquitous offering (Spider-Man, X-men, Wonder Woman, Avengers, etc., etc.). “Action Films” (Fast and Furious, Gaurdians of the Galaxy) are common. Fantasy films (Fantastic Beasts, The Life of Pi) abound. Romantic comedies (Mr. Right, La La Land) play often. The problems of the LGBT community (Moonlight, Brokeback Mountain) play again and again. Horror films (It, Alien) are staples. Quite an array.
In the psychological realm however, Hollywood is much less diverse. In fact, through the lens of HUNDREDS of Hollywood movies, there is precisely just ONE theme that occurs over and over again. Across many different genres, many different directors and many different actors, there’s just ONE life lesson, as far as Hollywood is concerned, to be learned. There’s just ONE piece of advice to be tendered. ONE message. ONE bit of imparted wisdom.
What IS this ONE insight that Hollywood wishes to impart to us over and over again? What is this ONE secret to life? The ONE pearl of wisdom?….Well, it’s that, under any and all circumstances, all we have to do, when faced with ANY problem or predicament, big or small, complicated or not, is to….BE OURSELVES! That’s it! That is the sum total of Hollywood wisdom. To repeat, ALL we have to do is to BE OURSELVES and EVERYTHING will work out okay. It’s that simple! If WE (and presumably every OTHER human being alive today) simply had the good sense to BE OURSELVES, ALL the problems of the world would melt away like cake frosting in the rain.
Now, being ourselves, according to Hollywood, may involve accepting our own (ubiquitous) LGBTQ sexuality. Or leaving that job on Wall Street to minister to the downtrodden of the earth. Or standing up for your SELF in a relationship. Or rejecting all the unfair assessments of you made countless times by your parents, teachers and co-workers. Or turning away from mainstream society for its many and varied failings and evils. Or a host of other life changes advocated by those geniuses in LA.
Nowhere, does one find, however, the concept that there may be GOOD reasons for all those negative assessments you’ve received from EVERYONE in your life. Nowhere does the possibility arise that you might be a ROYAL SCREW UP and that, if you were fully up front about your real self, you’d be more despised than John Wayne Gacy. Nowhere does the possibility come up that you might be a contemptible cad that should at least TRY to hide this fact from the rest of humanity. Or a lazy slug that should somehow try to LOOK BUSY. Or an uncouth lout that might have to camouflage this fact to EVER garner the attention of an attractive lady? Or an incompetent nincompoop that should DOWNPLAY these attributes in the hopes of EVER getting hired? Or a serial deadbeat that might want to DISGUISE this fact in the hope of EVER getting a loan?
No, none of the above seems to faze the writers of Hollywood, who, incidentally, MUST have SOMEHOW hidden their own lack of talent and originality, however, in order to have GOTTEN their jobs in the first place!