In the world in which we live today, skills such as cooking a meal, writing a research paper or flushing the toilet have become obsolete thanks to TV dinners, Planet-Papers.com and laser-equipped bathroom stalls. Why toilet technology ever advanced this far is beyond the scope of my imagination. However, the fact still remains: Practically any human with wiggling appendages can get through almost any daily task with little or no brain activity. Does this mean that before long, we humans will be crawling around on all fours like mindless moon monkeys wearing purple gym shorts, while eating brain-numbing Jell-O and lifting up our arms like puppets to hail the invisible, all-powerful hand that controls a "Brave New World"? Probably not. But, I do sense an America that is proudly driving its red, white and blue Ford Escorts in that direction.
Merely one example of this can be seen in today's mainstream films. It seems as though every week there is a new movie coming out that deems itself worthy of a "Wedding Singer" cookie cutout. Stop me if you've heard of this one. It's all about this really funny guy who has this really funny quirk or funny job which somehow leads him to meet this really funny girl and they do all kinds of cute, funny little things where more funniness ensues, which, if you don't mind my saying so, is trying so hard to generate mechanical laughs from a pre-programmed audience that it forgets to be original. Don't get me wrong; I'm not about to say that one can't enjoy an occasional slapstick. I own "The Wedding Singer." Nor am I implying that movies no longer exist that encourage the audience to participate on a higher level than Adam Sandler knee-jerk-laughter reflexes. What I am suggesting is those that do are few and far between.
"Why is this?" you ask. Maybe the increasingly fast rise of technology, which cuts out the middleman (brain) from our daily chores, has numbed our minds to the point that anything beyond merely existing or watching a movie with any sort of content just seems like too much work. Maybe it's because testosterone-injected Vin Diesel flicks make the average male feel better about his libido and thus, the creation of "XXX" was permitted, which is still hard for me to come to grips with. And then again, maybe it all has to do with Sigmund Freud -- who knows? But, like it or not, the age of a mindless mainstream is upon us. The fact alone that Kangaroo Jack is on this week's top five list is proof enough for me.
So what's the solution for this thumb-twiddling, bubble-gum blowing, Charlie Sheen-infected world? As far as film goes, small, yet driven, fleets of moviegoers have begun the resistance, using all means possible to quell the creation of any movie containing the words "fast" or "furious." Other than that, I can't say for sure and am not presumptuous enough to assume that I alone can offer such a solution. But here's something to ponder. If Ren? Descartes was correct in his assumption that because he thought, he was -- is it then true that if one thinks, and therefore is, one is nothing more than his or her thoughts? And, thus, if we are nothing more than our thoughts and we are not thinking, then what are we?
Write to Travis at tjabels@bsu.edu
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