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LITR 4632: Literature of
the Future Jennifer Davis The Truman Show
Objective: 1.
To identify, describe, criticize the narratives or stories humans tell
about the future. c.
alternative 2.
To identify, describe, and criticize several typical visions or
scenarios of the future.
a. high tech; virtual
reality—slick, clean, cool, unreal, powerful What
is truth? In part, it is about how the media and corporations have begun to
surround us with a universe of illusions.
There is some public debate over the way the media manipulates public
opinion and routinely creates fictions that masquerade as facts. This has
occurred because the media itself has become so powerful and so out of control. The Truman Show
is a satire. After the
crew makes mistakes that cause the seamlessness of the illusion to break down,
Truman figures out that his surroundings are full of staged scenes and events.
He then tries to make his escape, only to come up against both his own fears,
which keep him from leaving, and the obstacles put in his way by the
producer-director who has made billions trapping him in a stage set and
playing God with his life. The
Truman Show depicts phony, idyllic settings that mask a system of
surveillance and social control. Truman
ultimately escapes from this contrived world that is really an invention of
media. Common
themes: "unreality" versus reality Message: We will have to stand up to the
manipulators of television and news if we want to protect ourselves from the
absurdity and falsehood that now surrounds us at every turn.
Everywhere we look, today, we see powerful shapers of media -- including
entertainment companies, news organizations, corporations and political groups
-- offering us a benevolent face, with promises of enjoyment and an easy life.
But, behind the mask, we increasingly find surveillance, manipulation and social
control. http://www.transparencynow.com/truman.htm Q: Consider the credit card that
tracks what you spend your money on, the internet tracking your interest levels,
the roving video camera in a store, and even phone companies that can target you
based on your calling record. Do
you believe that our lives here on Earth are just representations of what we are
told to think and believe? Q:
Reality t.v. shows – are we setting ourselves up for something like The
Truman Show to happen to us? John:
The reality shows are increasing in popularity and are already a producer’s
dream; cheap to produce and higher in ratings. Heather:
When you look at the people participating in them
though, it doesn’t seem like they’re real people.
Definitely not representative of the actual population.
But they can make you feel better about yourself when you’re watching
them – at least it seems like you have less problems than them. Q: Do you expect that in our near
future “scientist” will use humans to monitor behavior based on
environmental, social, and political changes? Jennifer:
Like when Truman’s dad died… e.g. of human social experimentation. Kate:
In psychology we have the example of B.F. Skinner’s Skinner Box, and he
experimented on his own daughter until there was an outcry about it.
So, yes, it seems very plausible that in some way this could happen. White:
There’s the modern day, smaller-scale e.g. of the focus group.
Where sample audiences’ reactions are used to test entertainment
material so that the product can be
shaped to meet audience expectations. John:
But in those cases at least a choice is given as to whether the subjects
are part of the experiment. Sandy:
Have to consider that even being observed causes one’s behavior to be
changed… Jennifer:
Also observers, like Freud did, can manipulate the scenario or experiment
to a certain outcome… Kate: Lack of free will changes the
opinion in/on and experiment, and also knowing that you are part of an
experiment changes the outcome. **Discussion
continues with talk of the ‘lab school’ at San Jac and UH main campus for a
short while, and then shifted to idea of children purposely placed in
observation from birth** Jennifer:
If a baby is unwanted, could it be argued as socially just to provide it
with a normal home and a family, like in The
Truman Show, while it lives under constant study? John:
Who defines “normal”? Sandy:
How do you think it could be pulled off without the child at some point catching
on? Kate:
In Truman, all the other people
in his world are actors doing promotions; Truman is the only unconscious actor. Heather:
But if you’ve grown up your whole life with your mom advertising cereal every
morning, you’re going to think that’s normal. Jennifer:
Later in the movie even, someone falls in love with him and tries to tell
him that it’s all a show and not real. The
producers even design at one point to change his life around because they want
to have the first conception on T.V. Nothing
is private or special to them. Sandy:
Can you even begin to gauge the depth of betrayal that he would feel at
the end of the movie when he finds out that he’s been lied to his whole life? Sara:
The sky is not even really the sky; it’s just painted on. White:
Heather brought up that everyone’s actions and all that he’s grown up with
would seem normal to him, because it’s all he’s ever known.
What we grow up with, we all believe to be the norm.
Jennifer:
The website is very interesting. Also interesting is that in the message
of this movie it seems the people against the media is Hollywood itself.
It’s like a sort of complex inner-betrayal of Hollywood vs. the media. |