How Hollywood Thinks We Live

Off Topic
61

[quote]ProwlCat wrote:
EmilyQ wrote:
OP, I get what you’re saying, but I think that for some people, that IS the reality. Far more irritating to me is seeing the opposite on TV shows. I was watching 7th Heaven one day and thought I’d have a stroke. They were living better than the Cosby family did on combined doctor/attorney salaries (which seems to me to be a reasonable portrayal of salary and lifestyle) on one minister’s salary with a stay-at-home wife and 400 kids. Oooh, lookit the $3K entryway table in their $750K house. Pretty! And aren’t the 400 children looking very fine in their upmarket clothes?

But back to your concern…I wonder if your wife has a thing for this type of movie? ??

She wants to see any movie that’s won an award. [/quote]

Me too. Recently I’ve seen Boyz n the Hood and Silence of the Lambs, and am currently in the process of watching Gandhi*. If there is a message for me in these award-winning movies about Hollywood’s agenda I’m not sure what it is.

*I’ve discovered that there’s a designated “Award Winner” category of Comcast’s free movies on demand. Also, have recently dropped HBO.

62

[quote]AngryVader wrote:
Christine wrote:
EmilyQ wrote:
As a last aside, I’ve been shocked at the condition of houses I’ve seen on the market. Who leaves their house dirty for a showing??

hijack

Especially in this market, yeah?

I know a guy who is currently getting divorced and the soon to be ex lives in the house. The house has been on the market for at least a year. I’ve not seen it, but from others I have heard that she keeps the house a complete mess. She didn’t even clean it when the realator wanted to do an open house.

/hijack

Continuing the hijack, when I was looking to buy my first home a few years back, I remember pretty much walking out of a few houses the second I walked in because they were so messy. I’m not just talking about cluttered or having too much furniture either.

I’m talking about dirty clothes laying all over the place, carpets that clearly haven’t been vacuumed in a long time, dirty dishes in the sink, etc.[/quote]

We saw one dump. The realtor called and told the guy to leave the house for an hour. We went over and, well, the place was a dump. No chance we’d buy it.

Anyway, the realtor is showing us around and she opens and closet in the master and screams, “Oh! Good Lord!” Then we hear a guy yell, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t have anywhere to go! I’m sorry!” Turns out the owner thought he’d hide in the closet wearing nothing but a bath towel.

63

[quote]Polish Rifle wrote:
Doug Adams wrote:

The points in your post contradicted themselves. You say Hollywood is out of touch, yet “the masses” put these people up on a pedestal.

Sounds like they really do know what they’re doing.

You’re not reading between the lines. Let me clarify:

The masses tend to believe everything they see on TV, hence their deep-rooted love affair with all things Hollywood.

For this reason, Hollywood (and the Media) is able to piss down people’s backs and tell them it’s raining. Sadly, most people fall for it.
[/quote]

But since Hollywood knows they have this advantage, how does this make them out of touch with the public? It shows they know their customers and are catering to their demands like any other successful business. It’s not their fault people are basing their lives around who’s up next on Dancing with the Stars instead of cracking open a schoolbook.

64

[quote]AngryVader wrote:
Christine wrote:
EmilyQ wrote:
As a last aside, I’ve been shocked at the condition of houses I’ve seen on the market. Who leaves their house dirty for a showing??

hijack

Especially in this market, yeah?

I know a guy who is currently getting divorced and the soon to be ex lives in the house. The house has been on the market for at least a year. I’ve not seen it, but from others I have heard that she keeps the house a complete mess. She didn’t even clean it when the realator wanted to do an open house.

/hijack

Continuing the hijack, when I was looking to buy my first home a few years back, I remember pretty much walking out of a few houses the second I walked in because they were so messy. I’m not just talking about cluttered or having too much furniture either. I’m talking about dirty clothes laying all over the place, carpets that clearly haven’t been vacuumed in a long time, dirty dishes in the sink, etc.[/quote]

Yeah, I’m not interested in buying something from a slob that I’ll be paying for for 30 years. Because what’s the upkeep been like if they can’t even pull it together to sell?

65

[quote]EmilyQ wrote:
ProwlCat wrote:
EmilyQ wrote:
OP, I get what you’re saying, but I think that for some people, that IS the reality. Far more irritating to me is seeing the opposite on TV shows. I was watching 7th Heaven one day and thought I’d have a stroke. They were living better than the Cosby family did on combined doctor/attorney salaries (which seems to me to be a reasonable portrayal of salary and lifestyle) on one minister’s salary with a stay-at-home wife and 400 kids. Oooh, lookit the $3K entryway table in their $750K house. Pretty! And aren’t the 400 children looking very fine in their upmarket clothes?

But back to your concern…I wonder if your wife has a thing for this type of movie? ??

She wants to see any movie that’s won an award.

Me too. Recently I’ve seen Boyz n the Hood and Silence of the Lambs, and am currently in the process of watching Gandhi*. If there is a message for me in these award-winning movies about Hollywood’s agenda I’m not sure what it is.

*I’ve discovered that there’s a designated “Award Winner” category of Comcast’s free movies on demand. Also, have recently dropped HBO.

[/quote]

I think if you selectively choose which movies you discuss, you can make Hollywood out to be forcing any message you want.

The conspiracy just isn’t there.

66

I got a hard lesson in how “slobby” many people are when i was younger and had roommates.

also, i have to agree with the others who say the majority of america is barely getting by.

i made well over 100k last year, and lived paycheck to paycheck.

i work in emergency so i see a vast cross secton of society, and i honestly dont know how some people feed and cloth themselves and have places to live. i know how expensive to live in this part of the country, and how you can do it unemployed or working as a sales clerk or in a car wash, well…damn.

keep inmind i was raised in a very poor working class family, both my parents were illiterate, so i am NOT looking at the world with rose colored glasses.

67

[quote]EmilyQ wrote:
ProwlCat wrote:
EmilyQ wrote:
OP, I get what you’re saying, but I think that for some people, that IS the reality. Far more irritating to me is seeing the opposite on TV shows. I was watching 7th Heaven one day and thought I’d have a stroke. They were living better than the Cosby family did on combined doctor/attorney salaries (which seems to me to be a reasonable portrayal of salary and lifestyle) on one minister’s salary with a stay-at-home wife and 400 kids. Oooh, lookit the $3K entryway table in their $750K house. Pretty! And aren’t the 400 children looking very fine in their upmarket clothes?

But back to your concern…I wonder if your wife has a thing for this type of movie? ??

She wants to see any movie that’s won an award.

Me too. Recently I’ve seen Boyz n the Hood and Silence of the Lambs, and am currently in the process of watching Gandhi*. If there is a message for me in these award-winning movies about Hollywood’s agenda I’m not sure what it is.

*I’ve discovered that there’s a designated “Award Winner” category of Comcast’s free movies on demand. Also, have recently dropped HBO.

[/quote]

Gandhi is a great movie. Silence of the Lambs is fantastic, too. Not saying there is any kind of message in movies made years apart. I was just commenting on a theme that I noticed in a few movies I’d seen recently.

Also - I’m still stewing that Saving Private Ryan was beaten by Shakespeare in Love for Best Picture. I notice a theme there: Hollywood handing awards to the wrong movies…

68

[quote]Otep wrote:
Professor X wrote:
PRCalDude wrote:
I get where you’re going with this, OP.

Remember “American Beauty?” Everyone in the suburbs is a closeted homosexual, a pedophile, an adulterous career woman, etc. “Hollywood” is the west side of Los Angeles (usually north of the 10 fwy) where all of the “industry people” in “show business” live. They tend to have a lot of money or put on a front like they do and are really disinterested in anything outside of their own insular world.

How do you and others take one movie and act like ALL movies are made this way? I keep pointing to the blockbusters over the last 2 or 3 years and they do NOT seem to have the issues you think plague all of Hollywood. Even here you had to go back to 1999…A WHOLE DECADE AGO to talk about American Beauty. No other movies that did well at the box office that show this in 10 years?

  1. PRC’s point was somewhat tangential, and displays the surburban lifestyle instead of ‘realistic’ one the OP initally ranted about.
  2. Very rarely are movies ABOUT a lifestyle. More often, they involve very select situations (star wars, James Bond, Batman… or… Harry Potter, I guess)
  3. More recent examples of PRC’s point:

Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Guess Who
Burn After Reading
The House that Preys
The Dying Gaul (Excellent play, have not seen the movie)

All of which typify the rich, surbaban lot as not even remotely human (as shown in their inability to have honest relationships with each other. Guess Who may be an exception[/quote]

Don’t forget “Babel” and “Crash”

69

to the OP,

I do see what you are talking about though.

70

[quote]EmilyQ wrote:

As a last aside, I’ve been shocked at the condition of houses I’ve seen on the market. Who leaves their house dirty for a showing??[/quote]

The same people who live in absolute squallor the rest of the time. They probably thought that they did a terrific job cleaning up before you saw the place.

It’s like when a friend of mine dropped by for coffee a couple months ago. I sew, and had pulled out all of my fabric while doing a project to get it organized so my living room floor and coffee table were covered in remnants, and pattern pieces that I was in the process of cutting. I was embarassed and aplogizing for the mess when she says “Oh my god, you’re so organized! How do you do it with two kids?”

I actually thought she was making fun of me until I saw her house… That’s all I’m going to say, because if I elaborate I’m just going to sound like a bitch.

71

This is the last thing I’ll say:

I was not talking about how Hollywood portrays lower-income people. I certainly do not think that there are not many, many people living in terrible conditions in all parts of the US. It just struck me that, in many of these movies, the subjects are professionals, “middle-class” or upper-class folks, etc. And often times they are tooling around town in 1984 Gremlins, stitting on furniture that looks like it was taken from a 19th century farmhouse, lots of wood paneling and peeling wallpaper. Outdated, dirty carpets. To me it just seemed to miss the mark a bit. It inspired what I thought would be good natured debate about Hollywood - which for better or worse is a favoite punching bag for me, even though I love movies.

72

[quote]ProwlCat wrote:
This is the last thing I’ll say:

I was not talking about how Hollywood portrays lower-income people. I certainly do not think that there are not many, many people living in terrible conditions in all parts of the US. It just struck me that, in many of these movies, the subjects are professionals, “middle-class” or upper-class folks, etc. And often times they are tooling around town in 1984 Gremlins, stitting on furniture that looks like it was taken from a 19th century farmhouse, lots of wood paneling and peeling wallpaper. Outdated, dirty carpets. To me it just seemed to miss the mark a bit. It inspired what I thought would be good natured debate about Hollywood - which for better or worse is a favoite punching bag for me, even though I love movies. [/quote]

I have known people who you would never guess had money if you were to judge by living conditions, clothing and car choices.

I have also known people who you might think had money based on those criteria, but were actually swimming in debt.

73

[quote]meangenes wrote:
What’s wrong with tuna melts?[/quote]

That was my first thought. How can anyone look down on tuna melts?

74

[quote]sluicy wrote:
meangenes wrote:
What’s wrong with tuna melts?

That was my first thought. How can anyone look down on tuna melts?[/quote]

Because tuna is taking away the rightful place of bacon in that sandwich.

75

[quote]Doug Adams wrote:
sluicy wrote:
meangenes wrote:
What’s wrong with tuna melts?

That was my first thought. How can anyone look down on tuna melts?

Because tuna is taking away the rightful place of bacon in that sandwich. [/quote]

Tuna, bacon and cheese melt.

Now you got me hungry!

76

[quote]Christine wrote:
ProwlCat wrote:
This is the last thing I’ll say:

I was not talking about how Hollywood portrays lower-income people. I certainly do not think that there are not many, many people living in terrible conditions in all parts of the US. It just struck me that, in many of these movies, the subjects are professionals, “middle-class” or upper-class folks, etc.

And often times they are tooling around town in 1984 Gremlins, stitting on furniture that looks like it was taken from a 19th century farmhouse, lots of wood paneling and peeling wallpaper. Outdated, dirty carpets.

To me it just seemed to miss the mark a bit. It inspired what I thought would be good natured debate about Hollywood - which for better or worse is a favoite punching bag for me, even though I love movies.

I have known people who you would never guess had money if you were to judge by living conditions, clothing and car choices.

I have also known people who you might think had money based on those criteria, but were actually swimming in debt.

[/quote]

I see that daily. In fact, one of my professors used to drive the most beat up car on the lot even though he still had his own practice and was making enough to drive in more style.

Many professionals, especially in some health fields (especially older guys) seem to think looking like they don’t have anything actually helps them with their own practice.

I also know quite a few who can’t pay their light bill but wear 300 dollar sunglasses and the latest Jordans.

Looking the part doesn’t mean much to me.

77

[quote]Christine wrote:
Doug Adams wrote:
sluicy wrote:
meangenes wrote:
What’s wrong with tuna melts?

That was my first thought. How can anyone look down on tuna melts?

Because tuna is taking away the rightful place of bacon in that sandwich.

Tuna, bacon and cheese melt.

Now you got me hungry![/quote]

Don’t forget the tomatoes.

78

[quote]ProwlCat wrote:
lostinthought wrote:
Professor X wrote:

The OP sounds like a rich kid.

To this day I can’t stand people who grew up devoid of any knowledge that most people aren’t as well off or anywhere near it.

Agreed. I’ve talked to a lot of social workers…Tons actually since I’m one also. But they’ll come back with pics of a home which they think is dirty and un fit for kids. And after arguing with them, I start to realize ok, they grew up with money and think anything less than what they had, is unfit. Some people can’t realize it’s OK to live differently.

Look, lady. I worked in social services from IV-A to IV-D to IV-E. I’m not talking about what’s fit for kids and what’s not fit for kids. I was talking about how supposedly middle-class people are protrayed in movies, for Christ’s sake! There is a difference between what’s cluttered and unoranized and what’s unsafe for kids.

Not only have done home visits but I’ve adopted a child. I never said anything is unsafe for kids. Rat poison on the floor is unsafe for kids. Open windows on the third floor are unsafe for kids. Five foster-kids and one stoned parent…that’s usafe. And it’s also not what I was talking about. [/quote]

What the hell is this? I can’t even make any sense out of it…? OP, learn to spell and use grammar.

79

[quote]lostinthought wrote:
ProwlCat wrote:
lostinthought wrote:
Professor X wrote:

The OP sounds like a rich kid.

To this day I can’t stand people who grew up devoid of any knowledge that most people aren’t as well off or anywhere near it.

Agreed. I’ve talked to a lot of social workers…Tons actually since I’m one also. But they’ll come back with pics of a home which they think is dirty and un fit for kids. And after arguing with them, I start to realize ok, they grew up with money and think anything less than what they had, is unfit. Some people can’t realize it’s OK to live differently.

Look, lady. I worked in social services from IV-A to IV-D to IV-E. I’m not talking about what’s fit for kids and what’s not fit for kids. I was talking about how supposedly middle-class people are protrayed in movies, for Christ’s sake! There is a difference between what’s cluttered and unoranized and what’s unsafe for kids.

Not only have done home visits but I’ve adopted a child. I never said anything is unsafe for kids. Rat poison on the floor is unsafe for kids. Open windows on the third floor are unsafe for kids. Five foster-kids and one stoned parent…that’s usafe. And it’s also not what I was talking about.

What the hell is this? I can’t even make any sense out of it…? OP, learn to spell and use grammar.
[/quote]

Wait. I glanced at your profile and I think you’re actually a dude. I think you’re pissed off that I called you ‘lady’. Either that or you’re pissed because, well, you look like a ‘lady’. Also forgive my hurried typing and typos. I get worked up when a man who looks like a woman talks out of his asshole. And if you are a woman, well, good luck with that, too.

For future reference, social worker:

Title IV-D = Child Support
Title IV-A = Public Assistance / TANF
IV-E = Foster Care

Special Bonus!

Title XX = Child Care

Good luck with the career in social work. It might help the people you serve if you actually paid attention to public policy once every few decades.

80

[quote]ProwlCat wrote:
lostinthought wrote:
ProwlCat wrote:
lostinthought wrote:
Professor X wrote:

The OP sounds like a rich kid.

To this day I can’t stand people who grew up devoid of any knowledge that most people aren’t as well off or anywhere near it.

Agreed. I’ve talked to a lot of social workers…Tons actually since I’m one also. But they’ll come back with pics of a home which they think is dirty and un fit for kids. And after arguing with them, I start to realize ok, they grew up with money and think anything less than what they had, is unfit. Some people can’t realize it’s OK to live differently.

Look, lady. I worked in social services from IV-A to IV-D to IV-E. I’m not talking about what’s fit for kids and what’s not fit for kids. I was talking about how supposedly middle-class people are protrayed in movies, for Christ’s sake! There is a difference between what’s cluttered and unoranized and what’s unsafe for kids.

Not only have done home visits but I’ve adopted a child. I never said anything is unsafe for kids. Rat poison on the floor is unsafe for kids. Open windows on the third floor are unsafe for kids. Five foster-kids and one stoned parent…that’s usafe. And it’s also not what I was talking about.

What the hell is this? I can’t even make any sense out of it…? OP, learn to spell and use grammar.

Wait. I glanced at your profile and I think you’re actually a dude. I think you’re pissed off that I called you ‘lady’. Either that or you’re pissed because, well, you look like a ‘lady’. Also forgive my hurried typing and typos. I get worked up when a man who looks like a woman talks out of his asshole. And if you are a woman, well, good luck with that, too.

For future reference, social worker:

Title IV-D = Child Support
Title IV-A = Public Assistance / TANF
IV-E = Foster Care

Special Bonus!

Title XX = Child Care

Good luck with the career in social work. It might help the people you serve if you actually paid attention to public policy once every few decades. [/quote]

He said absolutely nothing to offend you, he was just pointing out that one person’s idea of disgusting filth might seem perfectly fine to another person.

You got all caught up in the social worker aspect of it and started being a huge asshole. Get over yourself prick, just because you started the thread doesn’t mean you get to dictate how people respond.