December 11, 2007
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Loser Voyeurism
Why are losers so popular and successful in today's media? Napoleon Dynamite. Superbad. Etc. There's a pattern there. Even nerds and geeks are somewhat popular. It's just strange to me...on the one hand, I welcome the broadening of cinema to portray more than just perfect, beautiful people. But on the other hand--is there something wrong with our American culture, that we've become so bland and homogenous that we're intrigued by the tight, diverse culture of losers? That we watch so much, eat so much, follow so much that we ourselves lack some identity somehow? Or is it that Hollywood finally realized that losers go to movies too? Or do we like losers so we can feel better about ourselves? Just some late-night ramblings.
Comments (11)
or maybe because in other's flaws we see our own? (and can then laugh at them and ourselves at the same time)
ryc: thank you for your comment, auntness [aunthood?] is a wonderful thing
back in the day, when i was doing youth ministry, the teens were really into napoleon dynamite. they would go on and on about how cool he was for being not cool. one day, i challenged them... you can like napoleon fine, but it's not like your actually engaging in friendships with the real napoleons at your school. there were all kinds of protestations like "some of my best friends are losers." but it just wasn't true. i think we like movies like that because they make us think we are more kindly exposed toward people who don't fit in than we really are. because we like the on screen loser, we extempt ourselves from reaching out to real ones.... just a theory.
loser.
you are a dork. haha. (wait, does that mean you're successful and popular...?) here. Live long and be prosperous!
It's got to be a trend of some sort--much like the henpecked Raymond-style pathetic male in sitcoms, the social outcast is a current archetype in storytelling. Give the medium ten years, and we'll have something new to saturate the theatres with.
I think you answered a lot of your own questions in the post, though. Very insightful.
Yeah, I think all those things you mentioned are part of the reason why we have this current fascination.
And theotica, wow, good point. I recently blogged about meeting Napoleon Dynamite at my local Goodwill... this guy even had the gestures and mannerisms! Slightly scary.
I think that it may be partly because losers are simply more entertaining on-screen. If I had to choose between watching the comedic exploits of a nerd who wears snowboots in summer and feeds ham to his grandma's llama (I'd use an example from Superbad too, but haven't seen it) or a popular, captain of the football team/ homecoming king type, I'd choose the nerd.
Another theory may be that most of us can relate to the loser on some level. I mean, who HASN'T felt like a complete loser at times? I sure have.
RYC: (Takes a bow) Why, thank you! My work can be found at the Birmingham Museum of Art, in an exhibition entitled "Culinary Artists: Artwork You Can Eat." Just kidding, of course. I can't even take credit for all the cookies (only the hearts and the sad little fire hydrant snowman were mine), so I'll have to pass along the compliment.
I think it is definitely self-indentification of the average movie goer within the loserness genre. I want to believe that people watch these types of films to laugh with the characters, not at them. Napoleon Dynamite is funny on serveral different levels anyway. It's physical comedy, but there is also the whole language thing (I built you a cake) and if you are one of those people who actually know that ligers are a real fact of nature (unfortunately, not bred for thier skills in magic)... whew. Funny movie.
RYC: don't make promises you can't keep.
RYC:
Started listening to his music after I met him at a friend's party. Nice guy; has that "spacy artist" quality; not sure if I would have called it melancholy.
Hurray for Nashvegas.
I try to sugar-coat it and call it the love of the underdog.
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