Tuesday 19 July 2011

Grey's Anatomy makes me Emo

I'm pretty sure shows like Grey's Anatomy have legitamised a  type of Emo-discourse (if you will). Take, for example, some pretty typical Grey's quotes;

"Maybe we like the pain. Maybe we're wired that way. Because without it, I don't know; maybe we just wouldn't feel real. What's that saying? Why do I keep hitting myself with a hammer? Because it feels so good when I stop.”


"Sometimes reality has a way of sneaking up and biting us in the ass. And when the dam bursts, all you can do is swim. The world of pretend is a cage, not a cocoon. We can only lie to ourselves for so long. We are tired, we are scared, denying it doesn't change the truth. Sooner or later we have to put aside our denial and face the world. Head on, guns blazing. De Nile. It's not just a river in Egypt, it's a freakin' ocean. So how do you keep from drowning in it"

"Pain, you just have to ride it out, hope it goes away on its own, hope the wound that caused it heals. There are no solutions, no easy answers, you just breath deep and wait for it to subside. Most of the time pain can be managed but sometimes the pain gets you where you least expect it. Hits way below the belt and doesn't let up. Pain, you just have to fight through, because the truth is you can't outrun it and life always makes more."

I hardly ever watch Grey's because I can't stand its emo/fluffy/narcissistic crap, but tonight it was on and I watched it. Hearing these types of  quotes again, reminded me that sometimes I am emotional, and I feel it is my right as a woman to wail and cry and throw things and be confusing and unfair to my hubby. 

In our current society I think we have legitimised this kind of behaviour, which has been reinforced by shows like Grey's and other American shows like it. I think this kind of 'woe-is-me' attitude encourages self examination (too much?), self indulgence, and narcissism.

Of course we are human, and we experience emotions and so on, but what I am trying to say (not very well I think,) is that this type of behvaiour (which is often portrayed in movies, tv etc), can shape the way we express ourselves, in an over the top, dramatic way, and can make us very indulgent and inward looking. It is ok to only focus on yourself, make a mountain out of a molehill, expect people to read your mind etc. 

Maybe you disagree, but that's the vibe I'm getting from this type of show at the moment. If you don't agree I might have to go and sob into my coffee and wail about how the world doesn't understand me *sob sob.* But then again, maybe I "just like the pain. Maybe we're wired that way. Because without it, I don't know; maybe we just wouldn't feel real."

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