A poll! And a strange question
Jan. 29th, 2006 09:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
brigdhOkay, I have a question for you all. There are certain scenes- or patterns, or something- that get played out over and over and over again, on TV and in movies and literature, always following the same basic setup and actions. And you don't really think much about them, or at least I didn't; if I was aware of the repetition at all, it was as sort of an unconscious concession: "yeah, that happens, and so this'll happen...".
And then you see it again just one more time, and suddenly you realize- what the hell? Real people would never act like that!
Would they?
Here's the pattern that's bugging me: you've got character A, who desperately wants to do something that is very dangerous, and character B, who is physically restraining A. Perhaps A wants to run into a burning building to save his child, and B is the policeman keeping him away from the flames. Perhaps A is trying to attack the deranged, armed villain of the story, and B is holding him back. The moment that made me go WTF was in King Kong, when Ann is trying to get to the gorilla, and Adrien Brody's character picks her up to carry her away from the danger.
Generally in this situation, A will fight with B for a few seconds, before realizing the futility and calming down. I'm sure you've seen some variation on what I'm describing. You've probably seen this played out a thousand times, in fact. It shows up everywhere, even moreso than the idea of "slap a hysterical person and they'll stop".
If you were character A, how would you react?
[Poll #662667]
Because, in case you couldn't guess, my reaction would be the last one. I can't imagine being in a frenzied state and having someone grab me not making it a thousand times worse. Restraining me would not lead to a better grasp of reality and calm; rather, the phrase "seizure of rage" comes to mind.
So, is this a case when I have weird reactions to things, and being held back actually would help most people, or is this simply a cheesy cliche that gets used again and again because no one thinks about it?
And then you see it again just one more time, and suddenly you realize- what the hell? Real people would never act like that!
Would they?
Here's the pattern that's bugging me: you've got character A, who desperately wants to do something that is very dangerous, and character B, who is physically restraining A. Perhaps A wants to run into a burning building to save his child, and B is the policeman keeping him away from the flames. Perhaps A is trying to attack the deranged, armed villain of the story, and B is holding him back. The moment that made me go WTF was in King Kong, when Ann is trying to get to the gorilla, and Adrien Brody's character picks her up to carry her away from the danger.
Generally in this situation, A will fight with B for a few seconds, before realizing the futility and calming down. I'm sure you've seen some variation on what I'm describing. You've probably seen this played out a thousand times, in fact. It shows up everywhere, even moreso than the idea of "slap a hysterical person and they'll stop".
If you were character A, how would you react?
[Poll #662667]
Because, in case you couldn't guess, my reaction would be the last one. I can't imagine being in a frenzied state and having someone grab me not making it a thousand times worse. Restraining me would not lead to a better grasp of reality and calm; rather, the phrase "seizure of rage" comes to mind.
So, is this a case when I have weird reactions to things, and being held back actually would help most people, or is this simply a cheesy cliche that gets used again and again because no one thinks about it?
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no subject
Date: 2006-01-30 02:36 am (UTC)It also occurs to me that I have been in or seen a number of dangerous situations, and not once have I ever seen anyone physically restrain someone else from doing something dangerous, or even try to do so, unless the person trying to do the dangerous thing is a child.
no subject
Date: 2006-01-30 02:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-30 02:43 am (UTC)It is possibly not my best personality trait that ever since I was a little kid, if I feel like I can't win a face-to-face confrontation, I nod and feign agreement or surrender, then go ahead and do or believe whatever I want the instant that person isn't looking.
no subject
Date: 2006-01-30 02:45 am (UTC)And that's very interesting. I've never seen someone do it either, but then I haven't been in the position to see many people attempt dangerous things in real life.