USA social commentary - a visiting European view
POSTED BY: kpo
UPDATED: Wednesday, December 9, 2009 23:23
VIEWED: 4974
PAGE 1 of 8
A random but interesting quote I came across from an European guy (French) visiting America to research the development of a video game.
"For Heavy Rain, we spent time in an east coast city for three weeks with cameras, and it was a real shock to see the poverty, the ghettos, the abandoned factories, and the sense of danger that the social disparity creates. When you live in Europe, the US is most of the time depicted as the country of success, power, money, heroes saving the world, and sexy girls. Discovering the social side of America that you rarely see in movies was something absolutely scary."
Heads should roll
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
As someone who travels often to Europe, I humbly suggest that the visitor visit Europe at some point.
I mean, the film image of France is not exactly reality either, or Britain for that matter.
The running gag is "Welcome to Europe, your robber will be with you shortly." Which is *so* true, so I have to take this view with a grain of salt.
Best of Europe: Trains
Worst of Europe: Sanitation
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
It also depends on what movies and television shows he's seen. I've seen the poverty, crime and desperation of America portrayed many times. Obviously he's never seen "The Wire."
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Personally, I think the crime and poverty in our country gets plenty of press and is shown in lots of movies and TV series. I'm surprised he was surprised. The people I know in England and Europe wouldn't be, and Europe certainly has its own share. Strange comment.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Niki
I've run into this attitude a lot actually. The thing is, glamorous images get replayed. Depressing stuff doesn't. Not surprising people outside the US knows who John Singleton is, but are all too familiar with happy ending Spielberg. Okay, objectively I think Spielberg is a better director, but that would be in spite of his endings, not because of them.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Even if you look at the average run-of-the-mill US TV show, you'll see mainly statistical anomalies. I'm thinking about 'Friends' where the struggling 20-somethings lived in NY apartments that, in reality, only the well-off could afford. In real life they would have been living in shared apartments with bedrooms the size of closets. But you don't have to restrict yourself to 'Friends' to see it, it's endemic all over the entertainment world.
I wonder how many examples of exceptions we could come up with ? For myself, the only one I can think of that was closest to looking like a 'normal' family was the show 'Roseanne'. But that was years ago.
***************************************************************
Silence is consent.
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Subjects vs citizens.
Slaves vs free people.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Wulfenstar v reality.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Right....
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Right....
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME