Television and movies can do incredible things.
They can open people’s minds to new concepts, make political statements or call our government to action.
However, when a recent tragedy is used to make a point, I have to question the validity of the decision.
In the first season of the show “American Horror Story,” one of the characters who is bullied and shunned gets his hands on a machine gun and starts shooting up his school.
He wears a long black trench coat and make-up a la Zombie Boy, the male model whose face and body is covered in a massive, skeletal tattoo.
The plot device was so obviously inspired by the Columbine massacre, it felt like exploitation.
In “Orange is the New Black,” a young black man is shot down by a crooked cop.
I understood the reason why they chose to include it. After the controversial death of Trayvon Martin and the disastrous #myNYPD campaign, along with numerous accounts of police brutality, gun ?violence and racism, the show wanted to make a point.
It’s incredibly important for the media and the shows we watch to inspire discussion and encourage action.
Television can do a good job of providing a mirror through which we can ?assess our society.
It allows us to look at our own problems in an entertaining way. Good television is more than just flashing lights, it’s a complex story with deep issues and relatable characters. We like to watch it because we can relate to aspects of it, and hopefully learn something.
But when the situation depicted is a little too similar to the actual event, it feels like cheap ?bandwagoning.
I have a hunch that in the next couple of years a show will depict the bombing of an elementary school — like the Sandy Hook tragedy but not quite. Or a movie will show a passenger airline getting shot down, just like what happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.
And I will feel they’re dragging an emotion out of me based on my attachment to a real problem, not based on the quality of the product.
The depiction of tragedy in “Orange is the New Black” made sense, even though it had some minor issues. They were making an important statement about police brutality and corruption.
But bandwagoning for exploitation’s sake is just lazy.
To drag a reaction out of the audience because they’ll feel like a bad person if they don’t have an ?emotional reaction about what is depicted is a cheap way of imbuing meaning and quality into a work.
Television, especially in the United States, is really hitting its stride. It doesn’t have to rely on easy tactics to get ratings or an ?audience.
It just needs a good product.
