A movie, a TV show, a video game...bowling, what do these all have in common? They are forms of entertainment. Entertainment has been a concept since literally the beginning of time... probably; whether it’s music, or some TV show you’ve been watching for weeks because you are just way too attached and too deep in the rabbit hole, or even banging rocks together because they make a cool noise! Entertainment is mainly ever seen as a...distraction, an escape from reality for a little bit. I have reason to believe it’s so much more than that.
In terms of specifically works of fiction, they always have a message and they have the potential to change you, whether it’s an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or reading Moby Dick and your English teacher tells you all about killing the whale being some metaphor for rebellion against God, then you put that in your essay and get a 100! In terms of powerful messages through film, Pixar is a good example to look at, having to convey powerful messages through their animation medium since 1995; that message can be anything from “enjoy life while you have it,” to “anyone can cook,” to...literally whatever any of the Cars movies are about. These movies can impact people in major ways, literally making us better people. We are being entertained while learning something valuable.
Now, I want to state the less obvious...video games make you better people, mentally and physically. I read a BBC article that stated a group of people playing Call Of Duty 2 of all things...had better vision. Their vision improved for five entire months, almost half of a year. In 2003, they used a series of visual puzzles to show gamers who played action games became better at processing complex information. Despite the gamer stereotype, they are actually far more social than we’re led to believe, which is great.
The point is that just because something is “not real” or “dumb” or we don’t understand it doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a purpose in the world. Entertainment is not only what keeps us sane, but it helps us grow as people. I find it beautiful that I can not only enjoy a story for its intricate plot while learning that capitalism is bad...and I don’t know where I would be without it.
Hey look at that, I wrote a funny little thing. Fun fact about this piece, it’s supposed to be a TED talk, and now it’s more of a...TED write, and then you TED read. I have been very into film recently and I thought about how films kinda just make the world a better place so I wrote about it. You read it too. I hope you did enjoy this funny little piece and that you can go and watch a fun movie and take something out of it. Then you think about that one kid who wrote some essay about the lessons you learn from films. I am sorry this is so long.
After reading this essay, I thought deeper of what I've learned through entertainment. I love that wade decided to write about this topic because i find it very interesting. I never once thought about how cartoons aren't just a form of fun for kids it actually help them learn the basics of life. Manners, critical thinking, and being able to make connections. Kids are actually so smart and it always surprises me just how fast they learn. How could they not learn so fast when what they watch on a daily basis is educating them.
--Leslie Figueroa