[Despanan]

So I read this article a while ago.

I actually have to agree with Kontan. I get the points that Z is making, but I think he's really reaching and making a number of hasty assumptions. For one he's equating taking a non-violent stance/non-action when violence is happening around you with actual violence.

I get that you can consider this "perpetuating" the violence but I don't think I'm ready to equate that with actively working to perpetuate violence/engaging in violence yourself.

I also disagree with his assessment that Hollywood is the "West Distilled". What comes out of Hollywood is what a roomfull of executives think will sell, and what catches on is what happens to strike a chord with the American people/has the best marketing. It does reflect our culture (like any art does) but I think it reflects a very limited perspective of our culture.

It's like here in New York, I walk by the Broadway ads and what I see is a product. Broadway isn't theater "Distilled" it's a theme-park for fat midwestern tourists who will gladly shell out $125+ per ticket to see a band impersonate the Beatles, or a blonde "C" List celebrity portray Roxy in Chicago, or Spiderman fall from his rigging and break his friggin' neck.

Broadway is behind the times, and really more of an accurate picture of what the times were 30-50 years ago, not contemporary American culture and certainly not an adequate reflection of where theater is. No one really gives a crap about "Hair" or "The Million Dollar Quartet" they just make sales based on name-recognition and nostalgia.

IE: It's not really representative of our culture per se, it's a tourist trap. Granted tourist traps and consumerism are a part of American culture, but there's so much more to it than that.

Hollywood is less "western culture distilled" as it is a caricature of western culture.