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Mar
17

You’ll Always Be a Genius to Someone

Ann and I finally rented Up in the Air the other night, and we were struck by just how predictable the movie was.  The performances weren’t bad, but because they were delivering such expository dialogue and expressing such rote emotions, it was hard to see how anything about this film was considered Oscar-worthy.

Then we realized something.  (Two things, actually.)

The small thing we realized is that the Academy Awards have a tendency to reward movies that offer a snapshot of modern society.  Think American Beauty, Traffic, Crash, Up in the Air, The Hurt Locker — all competently-made but otherwise unremarkable films that implicitly say, “this is what 200X looks like.”

The larger thing we realized is that we’re just not moved by most art anymore, and that’s depressing.  But it’s not for the reasons you might think.

I’ve Seen More Than I’ll Ever Forget

Yes, we still like movies (and music, and books, and photos, etc.).  And yes, we’ll always have specific tastes.

But by now, we’ve seen so many films produced by the Hollywood studios (and the American indies) that very few films made under these circumstances still speak to us in a relevant way.

By now, we’ve heard enough music to know what to expect from new music.

By now, we’ve read enough books to understand what gets a book published.

In short, the most easily-accessible media that we could consume is the exact same kind of media that we’ve already consumed for a generation; we need something else.

But you might not.

I Thought You Said You Liked Deja Vu…

Because the formats for most media are predictable, their ability to satisfy or surprise the public diminishes with every new piece of media that we, the audience, consume.

For example, if you’ve only read one of my blog posts, you might find me amusing or insightful.  If you read 100 of them, you can probably outline tomorrow’s post for me because you’ll already know my style.

But there’s the rub: I might be new to you now, but by the time you’re sick of me, someone else will have just discovered me.

We live and die by ensuring that we’re always new to someone else.  Because you can’t always be groundbreaking, but you can always find someone who thinks you are.

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Posted by Justin Social Media, Sociology Subscribe to RSS feed
  • Justin,

    I really liked this post, and I really don't want to agree with you but I kind of do. I've noticed this especially in movies and TV (though I really liked Up In the Air) recently. Up until this past week I hadn't really heard many bands or songs that have struck a chord (pun intended with me) - but then i went to SXSW and was flooded by amazing music at every turn. Of course I was just discovering it, but it made me excited about finding new music again, and maybe that comes in the form of media or experiences that are not easily accessible. I also love the idea that the music, text, video and content that we produce will always be new for someone (like how some freshmen discover The Grateful Dead each fall).

    Where I disagree with you is that I think there remains the distinct possibility that so much of the media we consume just isn't that good - and that's why we're not moved by it. The low hanging fruit is just not remarkable and it takes a bit more effort to find something that is inspiring in a traditional media format. Again, just one possibility among many.

    Sorry for the long comment, and thanks for another great post.
  • Is the problem that what is deemed to be "good" is really not good, OR that it is hard to find the good among everything else?

    As predictable as things can be, I would argue that there is still an evolution of the individual in all forms of art. That evoluation may not always live up to our expectations, and some people may even evolve by not evolving as the world changes around them and then suddenly brings them back into fashion... but I digress.

    After doing 100 of anything, a person certainly isn't the same as they were when they sat down to accomplish that thing the first time. Does the fact that you or I may not track with their evolution lessen what they're doing in some way?
  • Good and bad are always subjective. Plus, how you appreciate art (or
    life) is dependent on what you've learned from your own prior
    experiences.

    This is why there's such a disconnect between the intellectual or
    "snob" class and the general public: critics evaluate art and culture
    based on years of prior experience, whereas the general public can
    only evaluate "what they like" based on a fractal amount of
    experience.

    Critics tout artists who'll push a medium forward because the critics
    themselves want to see something that surprises them. But when you've
    seen 10,000 movies, it's harder to be surprised by one. When you've
    only seen a few hundred, and they've all been comedies starring Adam
    Sandler, EVERYTHING surprises you... and not necessarily in an
    enjoyable way.
  • So there is no such thing as absolute good or absolute bad, it's all subjective? I would argue that comedies starring Adam Sandler could be polarized into either bucket... No middle ground there.

    I am really interested in exploring the thought of predictability though. You know, what you wrote about and I asked questions about in the comments that you dodged. ;)

    Taking the Beastie Boys as an example, could you have predicted Paul's Botique after License to Ill? Or what about Hello Nasty after Ill Communication?

    I really find it interesting that artists either typecast themselves into predictability or reinvent themselves and lose a percentage of their core fan base because of it... Which is better?
  • I'm sure the Beasties' audience grew as their body of work expanded,
    but I wonder how many of their original punk-rap audience stayed with
    them through their evolution.

    It's hard for an artist who WANTS to experiment, because if he's any
    good at what he does, he'll already be "branded" in the eyes of his
    audience. If he diverges too far from the tastes of his base, they
    may not follow him, but if he doesn't, he may never reach his own
    potential. I suspect that's when an artist has to ask himself if he's
    in it to make a living or to fulfill his own desires.

    And the fact that an artist sometimes has to choose between the two
    ends is what's so frustrating about the whole system -- we as an
    audience aren't necessarily wired to forever seek out new material
    like artists are wired to create it.

    This is also why some artists split their time between the projects
    that pay the bills and the projects that stretch their skills. And if
    you're REALLY charismatic, enough of your audience will follow you off
    the beaten path that even your fringe work will make money. (Tim
    Burton, Johnny Depp, Jack White, Ben Stiller, etc.)

    Of course, like those 4 examples, it helps if your particular brand of
    "quirk" has already been absorbed into the mainstream. That's a
    rarefied position that actually ENCOURAGES an artist to experiment; so
    many others simply mine their own backyards.
  • Good point on the Beastie Boys. It's interesting to think about an artist simultaneously shedding and gaining fans, over time, based on the work that they produce. I guess I never fully appreciated the career (ending) decisions that an artist has to make on a project by project basis before...

    The idea of a new artist "bounce rate" also seems appropriate to mention. When an individual stumbles across an artist's work at a time when they are unable to appreciate the artist's work due to their own lack of experience. Or at a time when the artist is not yet good enough to be appreciated by the individual...

    As a fatalist, it's easy for me to say, "whatever is supposed to happen, will happen." But the element of chaos theory thrown into a new artist bounce rate problem is intriguing. :)
  • "You're only ever where you're supposed to be," or so they say.

    Maybe rejection by one audience group is what impacts an artist to
    pursue a different track, or to revert to a former style.

    Maybe your inability to enjoy opera at age 12, or to take Led Zeppelin
    seriously after 35, simply means you'll find something else to take
    its place *at that time*.

    But if the people who love you now are not the people you WANT loving
    you, then you have a disconnect between what you are and what you want
    to be -- and you, the artist, have to decide which direction feels
    more vital.
  • airbornesimian
    This is exactly why we both embraced "Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train" so warmly, and also why films such as "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" can elicit an actual emotional response in me. (Oddly, the latter was made by an American director). By the way, if you've not yet seen "Diving Bell...", I highly recommend it; among other merits, I think it's the second closest a film has ever come to reducing me to tears.

    I agree with Hetal; familiarity can indeed breed contempt. However, I wonder if it's possible, after knocking about in a different neighborhood for a time, for what was once familiar to seem like new again, upon return?

    A further question: Is it possible for the familiar and the rewarding to coexist in the experience of media consumption, or must familiarity imply mundaneness?
  • Familiarity breeds contempt! Perhaps you wanna watch some Bollywood films Justin - just to break the stereotypical mould you've developed! :)

    And then you'll discover a new found appreciation for Hollywood movies.
  • Very true!

    But that is what it is all about I guess. Recognising patterns and once you understand them, move on. It does not mean you can not enjoy it anymore, but somehow it lost its magic.

    But around the corner there is always something else that seems groundbreaking. And that might be predictable for someone else.

    Anyway, great post.
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