Certainly, the deterioration of privacy has a lot to do with this trend toward more 'abnormal behaviour.' The Golds at least reference that the Truman Show Delusion is in many cases directly linked to 9/11 trauma (they describe one poor 'Truman' who thought 9/11 had been staged as part of his reality TV sub-plot), but they make no mention of the comprehensive and penetrating surveillance state. This is partially excusable for Paranoia, which came out in 2010, well before the Snowden revelations pulled the blinders off, but not so excusable for Suspicious Minds, which is a more recent release. Do the authors really see no connection at all between the deep intrusions of the surveillance state, and the corporate algorithms and trackers digging at our desires?
It reminds me of what R. D. Laing acknowledged all those years ago: psychiatry is often in the business not of helping the individual per se, but of finding a way to have that individual adjust and assimilate to the system, no matter how absurd or abnormal that system is. And that's a benign criticism that doesn't even address
I've heard Taxi Driver criticized for glorifying vigilantism, but that misses the point. Scorsese is not reveling in street justice. He's pointing out that even this one-man lashing out against systemic sleaze and corruption can be accommodated, even lauded by normal society, because it looks like reform. But of course Bickle changes nothing much in the end, although a no-longer-innocent girl is set free. To change the system, we must all become cabbies confronting ourselves in the mirror.
I'm talking to you. How do you like them bananas?
(Article changed on November 21, 2020 at 20:14)
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
2
1
1
