I've been thinking a lot about how popular media reflects the conscious and subconscious desires of the populace. On some level, provided a non propagandist state, the widespread success of popular media tends to be driven by its ability to speak to fulfill the desires of the people.
If we look back to the 1990s we see a celebration of the military and an elevation of militaristic personalities and leaders across much of popular media (movies, TV etc). Nowadays pop culture is dominated by the concept of "super heroes." Provided my previous supposition is correct this fixation should give us insight into the thoughts, motivations and desires of the populace at large. So I'm left wondering why superheroes seem to resonate so much with the modern person.
My theory is this: people have lost hope in the establishment. They have accepted that no normal person could ever "save" them or fix the widespread corruption and imbalance of power/influence they see in the world around them. In the face of such a reality the fantasy of a super hero becomes a powerful one. Suddenly you have someone who doesn't follow the normal rules of what is and isn't possible. Suddenly there is hope that change is possible.
I think the same hopelessness holds true for young kids who feel ostracized or bullied and feel as though no authority figure can really help them which helps explain why super heroes are so popular with kids who tend to stand out and not fit in as much.
Another thing that backs up this idea that a desire for change is a primary motivator for the populace at large is in recent elections. Barack Obama's initial campaign saw him achieve historic levels of voter turnout under a platform of "change" and Trump saw the sort of success he saw in large part due to his status as an "outsider" who would "drain the swamp" and mix things up.
It's clear to me the public is growing increasingly disenchanted with the status quo and there is a widespread sentiment that change is needed. Many may disagree about the sort of change that should occur but lost agree that things cannot continue as they are. And so in the face of what seems more and more to be an indefatigable globalized bureaucracy governed increasingly by rapidly consolidating wealth is it any wonder that people look to heroes to escape their grim reality?
What are your thoughts? Do you agree that the popularity of media gives an insight into the minds and hearts of the people? Do you agree with me about why the idea of a superhero is so appealing to modern society?
If we look back to the 1990s we see a celebration of the military and an elevation of militaristic personalities and leaders across much of popular media (movies, TV etc). Nowadays pop culture is dominated by the concept of "super heroes." Provided my previous supposition is correct this fixation should give us insight into the thoughts, motivations and desires of the populace at large. So I'm left wondering why superheroes seem to resonate so much with the modern person.
My theory is this: people have lost hope in the establishment. They have accepted that no normal person could ever "save" them or fix the widespread corruption and imbalance of power/influence they see in the world around them. In the face of such a reality the fantasy of a super hero becomes a powerful one. Suddenly you have someone who doesn't follow the normal rules of what is and isn't possible. Suddenly there is hope that change is possible.
I think the same hopelessness holds true for young kids who feel ostracized or bullied and feel as though no authority figure can really help them which helps explain why super heroes are so popular with kids who tend to stand out and not fit in as much.
Another thing that backs up this idea that a desire for change is a primary motivator for the populace at large is in recent elections. Barack Obama's initial campaign saw him achieve historic levels of voter turnout under a platform of "change" and Trump saw the sort of success he saw in large part due to his status as an "outsider" who would "drain the swamp" and mix things up.
It's clear to me the public is growing increasingly disenchanted with the status quo and there is a widespread sentiment that change is needed. Many may disagree about the sort of change that should occur but lost agree that things cannot continue as they are. And so in the face of what seems more and more to be an indefatigable globalized bureaucracy governed increasingly by rapidly consolidating wealth is it any wonder that people look to heroes to escape their grim reality?
What are your thoughts? Do you agree that the popularity of media gives an insight into the minds and hearts of the people? Do you agree with me about why the idea of a superhero is so appealing to modern society?
