Escapism: Tits, Guns, and Fairness

During my short but o so sweet winter break from school, my family and I loaded up the trusty mystery machine, and headed up to those great snowy mountains people from the bay call Tahoe. Now I like skiing a lot, I did it every weekend for 8 years, but during this trip the comforting snow covered woods couldn't help but remind me of twilight. Yes twilight, the terrible film/book series which I have condemned on the basis that vampires should not every sparkle...and that Kristen Stewart has a total of two facial expressions. Yet, in a really roundabout way this got me thinking about the subject of escapism.

Be it watching a movie, listening to a cd, or playing a video game, we all try to escape. However, I have recently come to the realization that the thing we are all trying to escape is not the hard grind of our daily lives, but instead unfairness. Take video games for example, they are all fair set within a world with unchanging constant laws. Life on the other hand would make a terrible video game. For one thing, its class system is extremely unbalanced, and I don't predict investments bankers giving away some of their gil any time soon. Quest rewards, are really fucked, because if they worked, the girl I have been trying to court for the past two months would at least return my desperate text messages asking to hang out. However, the worst part of this life game, is that far too frequently players will die for reasons completely beyond their control. The development team is obviously ignoring our pleas for help, because according to the stories I have read, they usually just drown everyone for complaining.

We essential reject our world every time we turn on a video game. Take for example when you are about to level up in a role playing game. No one is going to stop you and say "O sorry no leveling this year, budget cuts." Another example would be in Mario. Bowser will never just put a giant wall in the middle of the level even though we knows that the fucking red hatted plumber at his feet will be the cause of his ultimate demise...yet again.

For every naysayer on Fox news who believes video games do nothing but rot the minds of the youth, I would argue the following point; every time we play a video game we are able to ignore all the pointless politics in our world, and for a few hours are reminded that life should be fair. Hell, maybe we should work to make the world fair? Just a passing thought.

After romanticizing escapism I will not reveal to you the dark side; sexisem in the movie industry. Every friday night myraids of people flock to their local multiplexes to view a movies that could all have the same title: Tits and Guns. Or if you like, Tits and Guns 2: More Explosions. Now these movies are all well and good up to a point, they usually suffice as two hours of cheap entertainment, but the more I thought about the actresses in these movies, the more I feet sorry for them. See their is nothing wrong with being a sex symbol, until you remember that you are making them just that, a symbol, and in truth no one want to be a blow up doll. Yes, some argue that men are objectified too, and to some extent you are right. However, I find it very hard to believe the movies objectification of men is for the benefit of women. Because most of the women I know are not into steroid abusers, and guys that solve all of their problems with a chainsaw. Sex sells, and thats great, but do you know what also sells? Characters and plot lines I give a shit about.

If I was to leave you all with a simple message from this ramble it is this. Maybe with a few less tits, chainsaws, and Michael Bay in our escapism we may actually become a more civilized race. And with this new found sophistication we can all work towards making the world a fairer place, and if this utopia every happens I call dibs on Samus.