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Add to FavoritesWhile many of us shudder at the horrific and graphic content that can emanate from Hollywood, we have to remember the value of some of the more informative films. Without Hollywood, we would not have the positive impact either.
Just as an example, I think Erin Brokovich is one of the better movies of all time, and certainly the one that should make Julia Roberts the proudest. If ever there was an example that women might want to model after, it should be the integrity, passion, and compassion of Erin Brokovich. (The income she began to earn was just the icing on the cake.)
To use another example, I would never have heard about the movie Radio, had I not had it come through our local video store as a rental that was recommended to me by the owner that knows the kind of movie I am attracted to, and there seem to be few. If we had more men similar to Coach Jones in Radio (and how delightful that this is a true story!), what a wonderful world it might be, and how many more healthy male role models we would have in our communities.
I feel the more important consideration when it comes to positive and negative is the choices people make as to what they rent or purchase regarding Hollywood's creations, because it is our responsibility to discern the difference in content. It might mean a little thoughtfulness, work, and time, to monitor what our younger family members view, too, but the time I spend examining their movie choices will come back in dividends when I know my children make wise and informed choices despite the variety of movie content available.
Hollywood can have a negative impact in the world, but I do not feel it does in my home. I believe the world also has a choice.
Learn more about this author, miraclesinprogress.
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Yes
Back in the old days of Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, the lovely Elizabeth Taylor, and their devilishly handsome leading men, such as Rock Hudson, Cary Grant, Old Blue Eyes, and the always fabulous King himself, Mr. Elvis Presley, Hollywood was the most GLAMOROUS and FABULOUS place to be. Everyone from little girls and Grandma's, to little boys and Grandpa's wanted to be a star. Hollywood was clean on-screen and we loved it.
Sure there were the occasional Hollywood tragedies, arrests, drugs, alcohol, eating disorders, and even cheaters, but at that time, though we did learn of some dramas, there existed a sense of privacy amongst this tightly knit elite group that kept us somewhat sheltered from the likelihood of becoming desensitized. At that time there were rules, and the paparazzi wasn't always out to totally destroy people's lives for profit, whether or not the Stars did it to themselves.
Nowadays it's gotten so a person can't even go to the supermarket without seeing some famous somebody's dramatic private life, after having it completely invaded by hungry savages referred to as paparazzi, or even worse, their death, trashed and splashed across the covers of countless tabloids. Hollywood was created to entertain as well as produce income. Remember, it's strictly a business. But is it really, just a business?
Unfortunate ly this business has the power to change the entire world's perspective of things whether right, or wrong, whether positive or negative, and it does. Our children look at America's Hollywood Stars, their movies, and their products, and think to themselves, I want to be just like them. Now, imagine what we must look like to nations abroad through the almighty Hollywood looking glass.
This kind of power, HOLLYWOOD POWER, is invisible, yet it's the most influential form of media in the US. As for other regions in the world, if the media wields this sort of influence at home, then what might the impact be after seeing American culture from the Hollywood perspective on a global scale do? The potential to formulate inappropriate ideas, in addition to selling products and propaganda, is infinite. Do we really want to promote false ideas too? Is this really in the best interest of the world at large or is Hollywood, in all of its' fictitious glory, meant to be something else entirely?
Granted, not all things Hollywood are inappropriate or politically incorrect, however I believe the scale is off balance. You see I love Hollywood. I was raised just a thirty minute drive away, but in 2008, with so much violence, and so many disagreements on a global scale, shouldn't we get back to the basics?
Maybe if we took a moment to realize ALL PEOPLE are human beings regardless of how famous, rich, or poor they are, things could be different. Hollywood and its' stars are just that, Hollywood and its stars. It's up to each person individually to determine Hollywood's effect on us, on our children, and on our world. If we aren't pleased with Hollywood's impact on us at home, than I can only imagine what Hollywood must seem like to our neighbors.
I believe we could benefit much more from increased reality, and I'm not talking about reality TV, or tabloid gossip. I guess what I'm saying is this; I'd like to see real sized girls, clean cut regular looking boys, normal sized men and woman, less make-up, costumes that send a more appropriate message, better role models of the supposed role models, and Hollywood back to its Fanciful and fabulous old self.
I'm seeking entertainment and joy, action and adventure, romance and tears, not to act as an unwilling spectator in the sport of deconstructing, or dare I say reconstructing, Britney. The sort of power Hollywood holds in its' all mighty hands is not something to be taken lightly. As the great nation America was born to be, don't its' citizens have a responsibility, all be it an obligation to set the standard higher, and not lower? Not only do I apply this theory to the American folks at home, but for the entire world as well? I believe we do.
Learn more about this author, Susie Turk.
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