Hacker News Reader

Comment by eviks | Hacker News Reader

> A new movie comes out: what are the odds of it being more worth your while than one on the existing IMDb Top 1000? Decreasing

Not really? This is a rather "mechanical" view missing the bigger social part - for example, a big part of that worth is the social conversation, and the chances of your friends to watch that new movie vs the top 1000 isn't decreasing.

Also there is this factor of new films being able to incorporate "current" events which old films can't, and that's another factor of worth that's not decreasing with time

View on HN

>bigger social part

Perhaps the "bigger" social part is what is missing. I've found I stop reading books or watching movies now days all the time. It seems like no media/author can resists SHOVING their micro-politic issue down your throat rather than simply presenting it as part of a story that you digest.

Its not that the social parts are missing. Its that there are 1,000,000 competing social issues and everyone is trying to make theirs heard.

I'm not sure if its the creator's or the publishing companies watering things down. Either way someone is doing it intentionally. No book where the prominent theme is is a micro politic will ever stand the test of time, or even gain a significant following.

> It seems like no media/author can resists SHOVING their micro-politic issue down your throat rather than simply presenting it as part of a story that you digest.

That may say something about the declining quality of writing.

You have to be a real pro to write propaganda for any topic that is also good literature. But most people are not Jack London :)

I think it's due to a general decline into literalness.

I'm not sure which came first: audiences that no longer understand symbolism, metaphor, allegory, or writers who no longer use it. In any case, all of these things are basically completely absent from any modern piece of mainstream media. Wherever there's an attempt, it's decidedly conspicuous. There's little nuance and subtlety.

>That may say something about the declining quality of writing.

It might but I'm not sure its all of the story.

I know how business and money works. I can say for sure there are forces out there saying. "Our focus group didn't understand this, make the message POP more,more,more" To writers/producers before they are willing to cut a check.

Well if it works for the movie industry why wouldn't it work for "literature" too...

I've found I've stopped watching TV or movies or reading written fiction, but it's because fiction in general has ceased to do something for me. It's as if there's a willing suspension of disbelief needed that I can no longer muster. Fiction comes across to me as inherently false. This seems to transcend the particular political position taken, if any.

It could be that reality is more "exciting" than any fiction, and your mind can't handle any more.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com