Life, the news and why I prefer happy endings
Looking left and right, talking to people - including some of my students when we were writing stuff -, or just 'listening-in', I find out that more and more people consider a happy ending to be too common, too blah, too unreal, you name it, I heard it. Granted, some deux-ex machina devices are too out there even for me, and even I think of them as hard to swallow, but even so...for me, a well written story, with a PLAUSIBLE written ending, even if sometimes harder to accomplish, beats the hell out of everything else. It gives me a feeling of satisfaction, of accomplisment, of good-spent minutes/hours, etc. I escape itno a possible world for said periods of time, and its rewarding, and refreshing, and it can do wonders with my mood, if writte/directed/acted well.
Why EXACTLY do I prefer those happy endings (currently, there is only ONE movie that I've appreciated not despite of an unhappy ending, but FOR it, and ONE book)? Well, like the title says: life, the news and media in general, and lately...movies/TV shows I like that keep screwing things up for me and my happy place.
Life: around me, I REALLY don't see that many happy people, myself included. I have friends and relatives staying in marriages/relationships making them unhappy (one with a child involved, poor kid...), and yet, out of routine and habit, a sense of misplaced devotion/faithfulness, because 'that's the way things are supposed to be", or simply fear of being alone (but facing interior loneliness) they stay in those unhealthy relationships. If life were a book/movie, they'd all meet someone new, fall madly in love and live...happily ever after. Or at least find some piece and succeed despite the hardness. Some books/movies depict EXACTLY what I see around me. But why would I enjoy that? Life's far better "written", especially when it comes to misery; it's got more details, it's suspensful-after all, we don't know when/how our stories are going to end, do we?; it lasts longer.
I like to 'people-watch' wherever I am. And it's so rare that I notice people who seem happy. We live in hard times, so that takes its toll, but even so, life is hard and most times unfair to the...general public :p I myself am stressed, and while I can't say that I'm miserable, woe me...happy ain't a word I'd use, either. and I'm also not too hopeful, or optimistic. Fiction of any kind, is a means for me to dwell on...happier and greener pastures. If I wanna be depressed, I can just analyze myself or the people around me, and...voila: drama.
The news: This weekend, I accidentally came across this news-coverage, totally something you'd see in a movie, about a toddler, who'd fallen inside a...well of some sorts, only a few centimeters wide, and over 10 meters deep (sorry for The US and UK fellows, I don't speak 'inch/feet'). People gathered around, firemen started digging, news helicopters surveyed the area, I told you, very action-movie. For hours, I watched half-hopeful, half disgusted with the people gathered there to witness the tragedy, and REALLY angry at reporters asking the poor girl's parents idiotic questions. 7 hours had gone by, and nothing...After a while, they finally pulled that poor child out; she wasn't breathing anymore. Even so, I found myself hoping for a Hollywood-ending, and the girl rescued. Need I say how it turned out? No happy ending. :(((( *sniff* I kept thinking that if this were a movie, she'd be rescued, I'd have a good cry and call it a day. But...it wasn't a movie, or some sort of fiction...It's daunting, really. Why would I want to feel like that when I'm supposed to watch/read something for enjoyment?
Life has its twists and turns and it works so much better than fiction, at least in that department. Sometimes, yeah...the whole point of fiction is to be dark and twisty, and with that...you go in KNOWING there's not going to be anything happy about it: like in good gore/horror movies, when you and your friends can just take bets as to who dies first, and who survives (hey, just because I prefer happy endings, it doesn't mean that I don't have a mean, dark and twisty side). However, other times...I just like to dream (eyes open or not), and unless it ain't horror/tragedy, give me my happy ending and don't go chasing the sensational/'shock' the reder/viewer, will you? :P
I left the best for last. While people generally see me as an optimist (must be that smile I keep plastered on my face), I've always been a realist: I usually know when to hope, and when to metaphorically cut my loses. I'm a Capricorn, so...logic and reason are my guiding posts for everything. And lately...I've become such a cynic that I hardly even recognize myself sometimes. I don't believe in love, at least not for me, anymore. Sometimes I doubt that even professionally I'll get where I want, but don't wanna go there. Which, oddly enough, is exactly why I LIKE reading/watching stories with happy endings. And I'm NOT talking about sappy romances ( I find them garbage, and more often than not, I've got strange looks thrown my way when I told friends The Notebook for example was crap *blush*); what I like is good stories (dramas, even thrillers, spy stuff, paranormal stuff, CSI -all of them) where love kinda springs unexpectedly and it's definitely NOT the focus. Soap operas are definitely NOT for me ( I did watch a few in my younger years, so...no judgement here). Why do I feel frowned upon when I hope/expect for a happy ending? Let me live my fantasy. We all cope the way we know best. This is my way: living vicariously through fictional characters. I've always done it, even when I was happy :). Now...I'm just....OK, content even most times, so if life can't be a story, I'd like stories to portray a good life. :p When possible :D
Why EXACTLY do I prefer those happy endings (currently, there is only ONE movie that I've appreciated not despite of an unhappy ending, but FOR it, and ONE book)? Well, like the title says: life, the news and media in general, and lately...movies/TV shows I like that keep screwing things up for me and my happy place.
Life: around me, I REALLY don't see that many happy people, myself included. I have friends and relatives staying in marriages/relationships making them unhappy (one with a child involved, poor kid...), and yet, out of routine and habit, a sense of misplaced devotion/faithfulness, because 'that's the way things are supposed to be", or simply fear of being alone (but facing interior loneliness) they stay in those unhealthy relationships. If life were a book/movie, they'd all meet someone new, fall madly in love and live...happily ever after. Or at least find some piece and succeed despite the hardness. Some books/movies depict EXACTLY what I see around me. But why would I enjoy that? Life's far better "written", especially when it comes to misery; it's got more details, it's suspensful-after all, we don't know when/how our stories are going to end, do we?; it lasts longer.
I like to 'people-watch' wherever I am. And it's so rare that I notice people who seem happy. We live in hard times, so that takes its toll, but even so, life is hard and most times unfair to the...general public :p I myself am stressed, and while I can't say that I'm miserable, woe me...happy ain't a word I'd use, either. and I'm also not too hopeful, or optimistic. Fiction of any kind, is a means for me to dwell on...happier and greener pastures. If I wanna be depressed, I can just analyze myself or the people around me, and...voila: drama.
The news: This weekend, I accidentally came across this news-coverage, totally something you'd see in a movie, about a toddler, who'd fallen inside a...well of some sorts, only a few centimeters wide, and over 10 meters deep (sorry for The US and UK fellows, I don't speak 'inch/feet'). People gathered around, firemen started digging, news helicopters surveyed the area, I told you, very action-movie. For hours, I watched half-hopeful, half disgusted with the people gathered there to witness the tragedy, and REALLY angry at reporters asking the poor girl's parents idiotic questions. 7 hours had gone by, and nothing...After a while, they finally pulled that poor child out; she wasn't breathing anymore. Even so, I found myself hoping for a Hollywood-ending, and the girl rescued. Need I say how it turned out? No happy ending. :(((( *sniff* I kept thinking that if this were a movie, she'd be rescued, I'd have a good cry and call it a day. But...it wasn't a movie, or some sort of fiction...It's daunting, really. Why would I want to feel like that when I'm supposed to watch/read something for enjoyment?
Life has its twists and turns and it works so much better than fiction, at least in that department. Sometimes, yeah...the whole point of fiction is to be dark and twisty, and with that...you go in KNOWING there's not going to be anything happy about it: like in good gore/horror movies, when you and your friends can just take bets as to who dies first, and who survives (hey, just because I prefer happy endings, it doesn't mean that I don't have a mean, dark and twisty side). However, other times...I just like to dream (eyes open or not), and unless it ain't horror/tragedy, give me my happy ending and don't go chasing the sensational/'shock' the reder/viewer, will you? :P
I left the best for last. While people generally see me as an optimist (must be that smile I keep plastered on my face), I've always been a realist: I usually know when to hope, and when to metaphorically cut my loses. I'm a Capricorn, so...logic and reason are my guiding posts for everything. And lately...I've become such a cynic that I hardly even recognize myself sometimes. I don't believe in love, at least not for me, anymore. Sometimes I doubt that even professionally I'll get where I want, but don't wanna go there. Which, oddly enough, is exactly why I LIKE reading/watching stories with happy endings. And I'm NOT talking about sappy romances ( I find them garbage, and more often than not, I've got strange looks thrown my way when I told friends The Notebook for example was crap *blush*); what I like is good stories (dramas, even thrillers, spy stuff, paranormal stuff, CSI -all of them) where love kinda springs unexpectedly and it's definitely NOT the focus. Soap operas are definitely NOT for me ( I did watch a few in my younger years, so...no judgement here). Why do I feel frowned upon when I hope/expect for a happy ending? Let me live my fantasy. We all cope the way we know best. This is my way: living vicariously through fictional characters. I've always done it, even when I was happy :). Now...I'm just....OK, content even most times, so if life can't be a story, I'd like stories to portray a good life. :p When possible :D