“... fictional representation of dramatic emotion is more ubiquitous than real acts of dramatic emotion. And that means that the majority of people that you’ve seen cry were, most likely, just pretending.” You always bring up such provocative points, Charles. I admit I do not fully understand them all – some of your essays are like attending a course for which I have not taken the pre-requisites. But I am always left with unanswered questions to ponder, such as: How many people today prefer to spend more time in fictional, fake worlds, whether visual or written, than deal with the real world? Can anyone even tell the difference anymore? Has the real world become so frightful? Is it just too hard to manage the brain-boggling “pretend reality” that has built up all around us? So much of the “writing” I find on line is, to me, no different than your “... photo of a naked man juggling clothed dogs.” Sometimes I am ashamed of myself for the crap fiction I let into my head. Thank you.
I think people understand that broadly speaking there’s often a lot of truth in cliches...but of course they don’t tell the whole story. I’ve moved further and further away from binaries and superlatives of late. Humanity exists in the complex gray.
I agree about writing 1,000 words vs a photo. Language has shifted so dramatically in just the past 3-5 years, and not organically, but rather via political ideological force. Words no longer mean what they used to.
I can certainly appreciate these sentences: "I’ve moved further and further away from binaries and superlatives of late. Humanity exists in the complex gray." Thank you for the comment.
The problem with cliches is that they’re often not true, and they become a lazy escape from original thought. As for photographs, we are awash in bright, colorful imagery online. Perhaps this is why I embrace black and white photography. Something about its contrast, simplicity, and focus on design/shapes over garish color appeals to me. And last, I like what you wrote about how “fiction can’t be distilled, it can’t be deconstructed into a clean message, and that’s where it gets it’s power.” Amen.
“... fictional representation of dramatic emotion is more ubiquitous than real acts of dramatic emotion. And that means that the majority of people that you’ve seen cry were, most likely, just pretending.” You always bring up such provocative points, Charles. I admit I do not fully understand them all – some of your essays are like attending a course for which I have not taken the pre-requisites. But I am always left with unanswered questions to ponder, such as: How many people today prefer to spend more time in fictional, fake worlds, whether visual or written, than deal with the real world? Can anyone even tell the difference anymore? Has the real world become so frightful? Is it just too hard to manage the brain-boggling “pretend reality” that has built up all around us? So much of the “writing” I find on line is, to me, no different than your “... photo of a naked man juggling clothed dogs.” Sometimes I am ashamed of myself for the crap fiction I let into my head. Thank you.
Thank you very much for the thoughtful comment. And you have an intriguing list of questions - I am glad that the essay prompted those new thoughts.
I think people understand that broadly speaking there’s often a lot of truth in cliches...but of course they don’t tell the whole story. I’ve moved further and further away from binaries and superlatives of late. Humanity exists in the complex gray.
I agree about writing 1,000 words vs a photo. Language has shifted so dramatically in just the past 3-5 years, and not organically, but rather via political ideological force. Words no longer mean what they used to.
Michael Mohr
‘Sincere American Writing’
https://michaelmohr.substack.com/
I can certainly appreciate these sentences: "I’ve moved further and further away from binaries and superlatives of late. Humanity exists in the complex gray." Thank you for the comment.
Great essay. I also like the 1,000 word motif as I limit the word count of each of my posts to 1,000 words.
Thank you for the kind words and the comment.
The problem with cliches is that they’re often not true, and they become a lazy escape from original thought. As for photographs, we are awash in bright, colorful imagery online. Perhaps this is why I embrace black and white photography. Something about its contrast, simplicity, and focus on design/shapes over garish color appeals to me. And last, I like what you wrote about how “fiction can’t be distilled, it can’t be deconstructed into a clean message, and that’s where it gets it’s power.” Amen.
Thank you for the comment and thoughts John.