Conference quark::human_relations-v1

481.0. "Bizarre Humour and Obscene Tregedies" Plan or self defence?" by BETA::EARLY (Bob_the_hiker) Mon Mar 14 1988 12:48

    Hmm a topic in another conference reminded me of this.
    
    At some random day in time, a team of psychological researchers
    came upon a strange question: Why do people seem to be eagerly
    and wantingly watching horror shows, monster movies, terribel 
    tragedies, and "the day after" types of movies ?
    
    Well, many of this genre of movie relating to "Atomic Bombs"
    came early in the 1950s, when people began to realize the
    possibilities of the reality of a nuclear holocost. Peoples memories
    of world war ii were still fresh,and some were more than just aware
    of what people-did-to-people, in terms of horror and mind-boggling
    terrors.
    
    This 'team' of phsycotherapists concluded that the "Human"
    mind could take just so much, and then a little more, before
    it "falls apart". 
    
    The films and radio shows became sort of a "what if situation" to
    the peopels minds, enabling them to 'puzzle through' the terrors
    of 'imaginized' situations, and in time, would be able to rationailize
    their own concept of 'survivability' given any sort of fictionalized
    situation.
    
    Reality, of course, rarely imitates imagination, except of course
    where 'copy cat' criminals act out what they've seen in the movies.
    
    This is where many people separate. The pacifists maintain that
    NO Nuclear war is survivable by more than  a few; and the militarists
    maintain that the impportant concept deterrence: to build a war
    machine so massivbe that no one would ever dare to challenge it
    or to turn it on. Regardless of the view, do you suppose that
    there is a par t of our minds that seeks to 'rationalize' a fear
    before it can conquer it ? Or are these 'terror films' just so much
    holywood pap to make money ?
    
    Bob
    

    In some primitive cultures, the people make small dolls replicating
    their hated and feared enemies. They attempt thus to 'control'
    the object of their fear, and reduce it to manageable levels.
    Similarly, reducing ones fears to celluloid may help one deal
    with large problems, telling yourself "it's only a movie", and
    feeling that the problem is controlled.

    .1 is true. But the other aspect is people that 'get off' on
    being scared. They love the spine-tingling sensation, the goose
    bumps, of feeling their scalp crawl and of the relief that they
    feel when the lights come on and everything is back to normal.
    Some of it is probably an escape to fantasy followed by the return
    to 'normal', what ever that is.
    
    Bob Mc