I had an interesting experience tonight while watching TV with my husband. To be exact, we were watching Netflix; we don't have cable by choice. We were watching the 7th or 8th episode of a cool show called "White Collar." Ben and I like the two main characters, but at the end of the episode, one of the good guys turned out to be the bad guy! I was stunned, and frankly, a little upset. But a show is a show, so I accepted it and was prepared to move on. In the next episode, however, it turned out that the good guy who we thought was a bad guy was still a good guy. Yay! All's well that ends well, right?At the end of the episode, Ben turned to me and said, "See? I knew he couldn't have been the bad guy. But look at you! You were ready to accept he was a scumbag."
I wanted to get a laugh out of Ben, so I said dramataclly, "You can't become too involved with a TV show, Ben. In the end, you will only get hurt."
Ben laughed, and said something quite insightful: "Is that why you watch America's Home Videos over and over? Because it's safe?"
In that moment, I realized he was right! I do watch AFV a lot. I've watched so many episodes, I'm pretty sure I've seen every clip from the show at least ten times. In a way, I always wondered why I couldn't stop watching AFV, even when it was just another rerun, but now I know why.
I'm a very sensitive person. This is good in a lot of ways. But it also means that I'm highly affected by emotionally-triggering things, like TV shows. I know that it's all pretend. No one dies, no one gets hurt. They all go home after acting on set and live a real life. But my high imagination is very invested in pretend things. As far as my imagination is concerned, "White Collar" is real. It's this vivid imagination that helps me write books, do art, etc. And it also sends me on an emotional roller coaster during a simple TV show.
At the start of the show, I'm all like...
"I can handle this. I'm an adult; it's just a show."
After the show, even after the TV is turned off, I'm usually like...
"That was so intense. I can't believe [that terrible thing happened] or [such and such died]. I was so emotionally invested in that character and now that [this or that occurred], who knows what will happen next? No one is safe. The characters that I love could be taken away from me at any moment. Oh, the world is so cruel! Where's my husband? Don't die on me, too, honey! DON'T DIE!" *huddles under blanket*
Clearly, this is an example of how creativity is both a blessing and a curse. The fact that my husband understands why I get so weepy during shows is a great comfort, and in the end, it really is just a show. As I continue to discover, understand, and accept my weaknesses, they will have less and less power over me. And being able to laugh at myself is important, too. Are there things in your life that sometimes evoke these same kind of reactions? To this day, Ben and I watch "White Collar," and we look forward to each episode's twists and turns, ups and downs, sorrows and triumphs.
I like your face images! Isn't it great that someone "gets" you!? Interesting insights :-)
ReplyDeleteAbbey - I got the link to this blog from your mom, on the Homeschooling Creatively Yahoo group.
ReplyDeleteI posted a reply there about how I am constantly making up alternative stories in my mind when I don't like the way the plot or character development goes in a TV show or book. I get very attached to characters in books and shows. My daughter and I (and sometimes even my husband and I) talk about them as if they were real people! But if I feel "hurt" by the story, I tend to react by making up what I think the story should have been. :-)
I was wondering if you have ever asked yourself why you are sensitive to bad things that happen to characters that you get attached to on TV shows, but are not sensitive to the people getting hurt on the AFV videos. (Most of AFV seems to be the audience laughing at people getting hurt.) Is it just because you don't feel like you "know" the people in the videos?
I have always viewed AFV as a show of mishaps but never any serious injuries (although that may or may not be true). "Knowing" the character on a show is a big part of where my emotional connection comes from. I basically view people on AFV as comedy relief, not actual people (which, now that I think about it, makes me seem like a very horrible person, haha!) Also, AFV is about the silly accidents of everyday life. The characters on TV shows are dealing with serious things like betrayal and life-or-death situations, not falling off the trampoline. In fact, if a character I liked fell off a trampoline, I would probably laugh. :) The more realistic the problem is on the TV show, the easier it is to apply it to my life, and then to imagine how horrible it would be to go through it myself. By the way, I've made up alternate stories to my favorite books/movies too! It's nice to know we can create our own happy endings. :)
DeleteAn important thing we do in our family is laugh at ourselves. I adopted a motto from a friend that says, "If you don't laugh, you'll cry." In all likelihood, people submitting videos to AFV have given us permission to laugh WITH them at themselves. Laugh therapy is important! Haha! ;-)
DeleteOh Abbey there have been so many times Josh has told me, "it's just a show" or "just a book". And I always say, "NO IT'S NOT!" I am horrible. I sometimes think about giving up books and TV shows because I get way too emotionally involved. The book Clockwork Prince I told you abouIt, I cried through about the last 2 chapters, and probably would have been sobbing on the floor if there hadn't been other people around. I couldn't get it out of my head for at least a week or 2. I am glad to hear that I'm not the only one! If you ever find a solution, please let me know!
ReplyDeleteHaha, I'm glad I'm not the only one, either! I've cried through books, too. I'll have to prepare myself to cry again when I read the Clockwork Prince. xD At this point, I don't know if there's a solution. You and I have been given the gift of emotion, which can also be a curse! Nevertheless, I'll be on the lookout for a solution :)
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