[lit-ideas] Re: Violence without Horror

As I wrote that, I recalled that one of the text book
aesthetics problems is the rollercoaster. That is,
apparently people are terrified by it and yet seem to
enjoy themselves, which obviously begs for an
explanation.

A few weeks ago, I spent an evening at various kinds of rollercoasters. These are not really roller coasters. You don't coast. Not much rolling either. You're knocked around at all sorts of angles to the ground and the sky.

A group wanted to do another "ride" that is somewhat like a group bungee cord jump thing. Three people are strapped in and dropped 100 feet face down.

I wasn't really terrified. In the rollercoasters, you just hang on and try to keep a sense of direction. The "ride" lasts only 34 seconds. I've been on roller coasters, where you roll and coast, and that's more emotionally stimulating, because it lasts longer and you get a better sense of the rush, the dives, and so on.

In the bungee jump thing, the feeling is just petrified. Falling 100 feet head down takes only a few seconds. You're just speechless with terror.

An aesthetic? Not really. The rides are far too brief and abrupt and chaotic to be an identifiable sensation. I didn't find any of the rides to be anything even slightly enjoyable. I'd do some of them again, for the novelty of the experience.

yrs,
andreas
www.andreas.com

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