I have a friend who reads my blog but is afraid to comment on it. She is intimidated by my erudition. She told me of a comment she wanted to make on my fire entry about how a gas fire can't replace the smell of a real wood fire. Which it can't. But it got me thinking...
The gas fire place looks nice, even provides some warmth but it is a shadow of a proper wood fire place or pit. There are flames, but there isn't the smell of wood smoke, the crackle of the fire, the hiss of sap from the logs hitting the flames, the blaze of heat, the red hot coals, the smoke in your face and so on. It doesn't end with fire of course; It seems this is the direction our entire culture has been heading for quite some time now. It is the prevalence of image over substance. How many vacuous starlets traipsing their way through the tabloids, how many poorly-written, meaningless best sellers, how many drivel-filled Hollywood blockbusters, how many schmaltzy sugary sweet pop songs, how many repetitive formulaic "reality" shows, and so on and so forth, until people say enough is enough, I'd like a little meat with my gravy. I realise that there are more substantial cultural products out there and also that there is a place for escapism, but when the dominant cultural entertainments are devoid of depth how long will it be until the culture itself lacks any meaning? Or are we already there? I have been accused of snobbery before and I must say I embrace the label somewhat. Why? Because I think we can all aspire to something better.
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4 comments:
Firstly, you don't even like meat. Secondly, at least you don't have to say "white rabbit, white rabbit, white rabbit".
Don't make me explain metaphors to you.
Does Andy Warhol have anything to do with this?
Obviously, a gas fire is not the other kind of fire. A gas fire is... clean, tidy, silent, etc... A real fire crackles, hisses, smells, etc... You can even watch a television picture of fire now, and in the absence of other fire I'll kick back with television fire my Bailey's and my chessboard.
In his book "Everything Bad is Good for You" Steven Johnson Argues that... "the pop culture we soak in everyday has been growing more sophisticated with each passing year, posing new cognitive challenges that are actually making our minds measurably smarter". I don't actually play video games, or watch television but after reading his book (passive entertainment) I'm beginning to think that I should.
A current television program like ER demands that we parse technical language not essenial to the plot and follow multiple narrative threads that would confuse the hell out of us if the last program we saw was 3's company from 30 years ago. Similarly, todays video games challenge us in ways that yestedays did not. Compare the instructions for pac man with the instructions for Zelda.
You know how people say "It's all good". Maybe it actually is all good.
-sparky.
I think its all good too- as long as it feels good. If the fake fire feels good then it is. Last weekend there was fake snow being blown out from the top of hamleys on regent street in the middle of london, and I surprised myself in thinking that this is just as good as the real thing. You know everything is kind of staged in a way anyway, who is to say that "real" fire or snow is real at all- its all in your mind!
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