Although the film is a bit absurd, there is actually a theory that is the same as the view reflected in the film.
This theory is called mimetic environment, which refers to the information environment formed by mass communication activities. It is not a mirror representation of the objective environment, but the environment that the mass media presents to people after selecting, processing and reporting news information. This view was first put forward by American political critic Lipman in his book Public Opinion.
This theory reminds me of one thing, which makes me understand more deeply how the mass media manipulates the right to speak in society.
Last summer, the anonymous star invited Taiwan independence artists and Japanese artists who insulted China to participate in her films, which caused an uproar.
Despite overwhelming opposition, she insisted on cooperating with them and threatened netizens by legal means. When the filming was completed, the opposition of netizens reached a climax. Unexpectedly, on this right and wrong issue, they were unwilling to compromise and adopted a tougher attitude.
Their ability is very powerful, and they can delete all anti-posts posted by netizens in major online communities. Even the articles of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League supporting netizens in Weibo dare to be deleted. At this time, the majority of netizens finally discovered how the mainstream discourse power of the media was manipulated by capital forces.
Money is the foundation of power. Behind the civilized society, only this naked natural law is exposed, which is called bullying the weak and fearing the hard.
Of course, the government will not let this happen. Even in the United States, the freest country in the world, the control of capital groups on the media is limited. Specify the total amount of media (including print media, Internet, TV, etc.). ) A capital group shall not exceed a certain proportion (such as 15%) to ensure the diversification of information and prevent public opinion from being monopolized by oligarchs.
When we wake up and realize that we are in The Truman Show, are we depressed or angry? Are you numb or unwilling?
Can our inner world still cultivate and preserve a small pure land of mind?
Hu Shi, a famous thinker, writer and philosopher in the Republic of China, subverted the stereotype of filial piety between parents and children in his article My Son.
This paper refutes one by one the questions and suggestions put forward by one of his friends about his poems.
Friends think that Hu Shi's point of view is too sharp, which will make his son feel that Laozi's upbringing is innate and ungrateful, and will make some people feel that it is unnecessary to honor their parents.
And how did Hu Shi go back?
His views are undoubtedly very speculative.
Westerners do not advocate filial piety. In their parent-child concept, they believe that children do not choose to come to this world, but their parents choose, so it is natural for parents to raise their children. As for whether children are willing to support their parents, that is their choice, and they have no obligation.
Hu Shi is a person who studied abroad and accepted foreign new ideas and cultures. That's why he can say such unconventional things.
This is quite different from the filial piety that we China people are used to pursuing. When I was abroad, I really realized that the parent-child relationship of foreigners is more like friends. But that doesn't mean I'm against traditional ideas. On the contrary, I support them, because China people's filial piety makes family ties more human and intimate.
But as Hu Shi said, it doesn't mean that when we become parents, we should put ourselves in a very high position and think it is a great favor to our children and kidnap their lives and freedom with filial piety.
If we are willing to learn and accept some subversive new ideas and don't believe in authority, we can finally find the limitations and dross, so as to alert our lives, which may be the most powerful ideological weapon we can get in the mimetic environment.
In fact, the theoretical prototype of mimetic environment comes from Plato's theory, which is called the metaphor of cave prisoners: imagine a cave with a group of prisoners; They have been there since childhood, bound by chains, and can only see the shadow on the cave wall in front of them.
One of them was just released and turned around and saw fire and objects. At first, he felt confused and painful, and even thought that the shadow was more real than the original. If someone pulls him farther away from the cave and enters the sunny world, he will panic and be angry. When he slowly accepted the new world, he was truly liberated and began to pity his cellmates. But if he goes back to save his companions, it will take him some time to get used to the darkness in the cave, and he will find it difficult to persuade them to get out of the cave.
We set this scene as a mimetic environment, which means that someone told them that this cave where you live is the whole world, and your shadow is the only real thing in this world. Prisoners trapped in handcuffs and shackles think so, because they can't know the whole picture of the real world at all. When prisoners come outside the cave, they will know the true face of the world.
Plato believes that prisoners actually represent the human state; The process of getting out of the cave is similar to the process of gaining enlightenment through study and education.
In today's complex social mimicry environment, people often slack off in active thinking and verification, but it is easy to accept all the views thrown by mass media.
Two days ago, someone posted a video news in a WeChat group. During the recording of the program, a hostess suddenly rolled her eyes strangely and fell flat on the ground. Then it was reported that it was a sudden heart attack.
This WeChat group is about health and wellness, and also sells products. Sure enough, someone jumped out to speak and asked everyone to pay attention to their health and invest more in health.
I looked it up specially, and it turned out to be a rumor. The woman just fainted from hypoglycemia and didn't die. It's just that the video I saw really made people feel a little weird and uneasy. But when you think about it, what you see with your own eyes may not be the final truth. Some media distort the facts through such false reports.
At present, the society keeps reporting some news of sudden death caused by excessive work pressure, which gradually gives the public a feeling that we live in a stressful society and our health is worrying. With the increasing reports of such incidents, it seems that everyone's heart is getting more and more anxious and panic unconsciously. This can easily give some unscrupulous businessmen in some industries an opportunity to induce people to buy their own products by spreading relevant rumors, and we have accidentally become victims in this imitation environment.
On the question of sudden death, the doctor said this: it may be caused by stress, but this person may have diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease. Normal people will not die suddenly no matter how stressed they are. Sudden death is often the result of long-term interaction of many complex factors.
How to protect yourself and the money in your pocket requires training in a big environment.
When the director told Truman, "the outside world is as empty as the world I created for you, with the same lies and fraud." In my world, you have nothing to fear. " But Truman firmly chose to change. Because when he walked out of the city, Truman became a real man.
Even though the world around us is controlled by the media and public opinion, we should be as serious as Truman and try to find our true self. Arm yourself with precious thoughts and courage and face it with a smile.