CH 10:
When I googled the words Forgiveness and Reconciliation, many religious websites came up with way of how to forgive/reconcile, as well as the benefits of doing so. As for Revenge, the majority of what I saw was information regarding TV shows.
When I looked, the term Revenge had more results by quite a large amount. Honestly, this doesn't shock me at all because of the sites that were producing information regarding the word. Today, people are fixated on TV and all of the drama, which very frequently comes with types of vengeful acts occurring. These types of events exist not only in the Soaps and on other types of dramas like Desperate Housewives but also on reality TV. For example, I LOVE the show Jersey Shore (YOU KNOW IT'S GOOD!). For those who watch it, Mike is always trying to do something to produce drama and "get back" and the other members of the household. Also, this is extremely present on game-type shows that involve money, like Survivor. Although I don't watch Survivor, I know that teammates will fight against each other and do horrible things to settle the score. I think we, as viewers, like to watch things like this is because we see things that we ourselves wouldn't do (or would like to think we don't do). Plus, let's be honest, we like to watch programs that are more focused on the drama; I think few people go out of their way to watch a show where people are forgiving each other and moving forward from issues regarding their relationship. I think most people say that they hate drama (myself included), but I think that's more relevant so long as it's not YOUR life involving drama; I think we all like to hear about situations with others. This is why most people LOVE a "good" secret and like to watch [trashy] TV.
I agree with you that we don’t like drama in our own lives, but like to observe drama in the lives of others. I think this might be because we are comparing our lives to the lives of others and this helps us psychologically when we discover that we are not unique in our problems. Other people have similar problems, and oftentimes our problems are not as bad as the problems others are experiencing, so that makes us feel better about our own.
ReplyDeletePeople have been involved in revenge forever, it seems. Way back in the Old Testament of the Bible are references to “an eye for an eye” and Cain taking revenge on Abel. Therefore I’m not surprised there are more results online for revenge than either forgiveness or reconciliation. It’s a shame that this is true, because according to the authors of our book, we are far more healthy physically and psychologically if we know how to forgive and reconcile.
It seems as though we have found the same results when searching for the words revenge, forgiving, and reconciliation. I find it fascinating that you have the same opinion about the word revenge, and why people take pleasure in watching television and movies surrounding that word rather than a positive issue. I too love a good drama show. As you mentioned Desperate Housewives, the drama is unrealistic, but is exciting to watch. I actually do not like Jersey Shore at all, but I understand why you do like watching “reality” shows. I watch shows on the Bravo network sometimes such as Millionaire Matchmaker, and Project Runway. It has drama related content, but there is a point to the show- to find love, and to become the next biggest fashion designer. Drama is nice to watch from afar, and I completely agree with your point.
ReplyDeleteWhen I did the search, forgiveness had the most results. However, I agree with you that people take pleasure in watching television shows based on negativity rather than positivity. Drama excites people, so a title like Revenge is bound to bring in viewers. The only shows I really care to watch are Say Yes To The Dress, a show about women choosing their wedding dress and The First 48, a show about solving murder cases within 48 hours. Although one show is centered on a positive theme and the other a much more negative one, they both share drama related content.
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