Truth vs Falsehood (19 page)

This decidedly American product escalated to become a worldwide industry, of which Hollywood is the symbol. As an art form, it is unexcelled in that it includes acting, dance, music, cinematography, and drama, plus creative engineering and technology that utilize the best of available talents. (Above calibrations denote consciousness level of the presented material, not the quality of the movie itself, e.g., horror films are meant to be that level and therefore artistically successful as denoted by calibrations less than 100.)

Of note is that a rather unique movie,
Big Blue
, which was noted in
Power vs. Force
, calibrated at an amazing 700. Beneath the story line was the contextualization of the Oneness of all life and the option open to human choice of selecting the eternal or the physical life.
The Passion of Christ
is very integrous of intention (cal. 490) but the prolonged torture/violence scenes bring down the overall calibration. If those 10 minutes of gross detail were eliminated, the resultant movie would calibrate at 395.

What the #$*! Do We Know?
is a non-Hollywood film that humorously demonstrates the greater reality behind appearances: science and spirituality; nonlinear dynamics; quantum reality; the effect of thought on changing reality; and, responsibility rests on human consciousness and what that implies about freedom. The film has been acclaimed as unique and has continually expanding showings.

The accusations that America is an immoral society are belied by the extent to which the importance of the morality of the media is a focus of much debate. Exploitation of the freedom of expression pushes the envelope of nihilistic hedonism until moral outrage counters with the setting of limits. The entertainment media proclaim their innocence, i.e., “We don’t create public opinion, we just reflect it,” which, however, is circuitous in that the public opinion to which they refer is, to a considerable extent, a consequence of the media output in the first place.

The artist has to choose which aspects of life to emphasize through artistic endeavor, so the media are a major influence on social mores and belief systems. This is reflected in the overall calibration of the Hollywood film industry (cal. 180). Also notable is the recent spate of anti-Christmas spirit movies (Waxman, 2004), which collectively calibrate at 170. Movie economics, however, reflects the public’s real areas of interest.
Fortune
magazine (January 2005) reports that although only 3.0 percent of Hollywood films are rated “G,” they produce more income than the 69 percent of films that are rated “R.” Also interesting is that the movie industry of India (which features the generally acclaimed ‘most beautiful women in the world’) is more sexually restrained and subtle, but worldwide, it has triple the sales of Hollywood. Its overall output also calibrates 10 points higher, at 210, than Hollywood at 200.

A new genre of movies has recently emerged with the production of
Fahrenheit 9/11,
which received much publicity prior to the November 2004 presidential election. Its calibration at 180 reflects the political position it represents. After the election, corrective counter-information was presented by
FahrenHYPE 9/11
(cal. 290), as well as
Celsius 41.11
(cal. 390), which humorously represents the temperature at which brain death occurs. The emergence of political propaganda movies aimed at the voters may further deter integrous leaders from seeking public office.

Television

The above calibrations are relatively self-explanatory.

The Social Impact of Famous Persons

The potential list of famous persons is so long that only a few illustrative examples can be chosen. Of note is the extremely high calibration of the so-called “Elephant Man,” who, because of a bone disease, became extremely disfigured. Despite taunting, ridicule, and social rejection, his attitude and demeanor were described as truly saintly. He was gentle, forgiving, nonreactive, and compassionate, even to man’s most base ignorance. His uniqueness is singular and implies that his life symbolized spiritual possibility under even extreme conditions. Notably, he ignored the temptations of self-pity, victimhood, resentment, and hatred of his tormentors, as well as social rejection and ridicule. At calibration level 590, he stood at the doorway of Enlightenment and was at peace with himself and the world.

Entertainers/Humorists

(Programs, Not Persons)

Humor results from juxtaposition of alternative contexts. The play on words or meaning expands the context so that expectation is replaced by a contrast that sheds new light and meaning. Parody allows us to laugh at human nature and therefore ourselves. It also confronts us with absurdities and contradictions. Humor is life supporting and associated with increased life span, overall health, and satisfaction with life. It decreases anxiety and, interestingly, increases the overall level of consciousness because it results in a more benign view of life. A sense of humor is characteristic of very successful people (e.g., President Reagan) as it subserves social amenity and interpersonal and diplomatic skills. Like music composers and orchestra leaders (Diamond, 1979), humorists are long-lived (e.g. George Burns lived to be 100 years old).

Humor decreases conflict because it reduces negative feelings and resolves conflict by expanding context from ‘either/or’ to ‘both’ by a simple twist of meaning. Sometimes it does so by integrating appearances with essence, thereby replacing fallacy with a higher degree of truth.

Humor is important to the maturation process whereby we learn how to not take ourselves so seriously and learn to laugh at ourselves, thus decreasing narcissistic defensiveness. To be prone to ‘hurt feelings’ is egocentric and a form of social paranoia. When we admit our downside and learn to laugh at it, we are no longer vulnerable to slights and insults. It is beneficial to list all of one’s human foibles and limitations and make peace with them in order to be at peace with oneself. Humorists play off their own downside regularly and are beloved for their humility. The block to self-acceptance is pride, which is a vulnerability that actually attracts negative social responses. To laugh ‘about’ a subject deflects being laughed ‘at’ it. That is the benefit of good-natured ‘kidding’, which is a form of acceptance rather than rejection (e.g., “Kiss me, I’m Polish” bumper stickers, etc.) True ethnic humor decreases prejudice while racist jokes are demeaning and increase prejudice.

News Broadcast Media

Programs (not individuals)