[lit-ideas] Re: Superman Returns
- From: "Andy Amago" <aamago@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 3 Jul 2006 09:09:00 -0400
> [Original Message]
> From: Andreas Ramos <andreas@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: 7/3/2006 2:30:55 AM
> Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Superman Returns
>
> >> Most of
> >> the world (especially the developing world) are
> >> obsessed with youth. In a lot of the world, once
> >> you turn 30 you enter the realm of the living dead
> >> for the rest of your living dead life.
>
> Is this projection on Irene's part?
>
You're going to believe what you're going to believe. I was not projecting
what the Indians I knew were saying. I also suspected domestic violence on
the part of one of them, not exactly rocket science judging by the bruise
on her face and the excuse about it. I also happen to really like where I
am in my life now. It's like when I stopped participating in the Christmas
rat race. I look around and see all these ants scurrying around shopping
and stressing and it's like, what's the point? Or watching the HGTV shows
that have ridiculous, utterly artificial deadlines for completing their
projects, just to get the viewer's adrenaline up. Really, what's the
point? It's the same thing with staying "young". What's the point?
What's the advantage? Proving what to whom? I've reached a place of peace
that marketing can't affect. If you find that hard to believe, then what
can I say?
> From what I saw in Bangalore (www.andreas.com/india.html), there is no
youth culture like in
> California.
Hollywood probably has more older stars than Bollywood. A lot more. The
Hollywood industry mandates youth, because illusion is what they sell. But
a lot of ordinary people live in California too.
Indian culture is middle-age centric, both in age and activities. Everyone
wants
> to be a married, settled, professional with children. It's no
exaggeration to say that many
> Indians in their mid-20s are already middle-aged.
Indians are the most married culture in the world. Marriage is extremely
important to them. If Indians are middle-aged in their 20's, then they are
really a youth obsessed culture. Even California isn't that bad. Here in
the U.S. we're younger longer. Back in the 50's sitcoms the people who
played the parents on the Donna Reed Show and other shows were in their
20's. People simply got older at a younger age. Sounds like that's where
the Indians are now, hence the premium on youth. I think most Indians
would scratch their heads in puzzlement or amazement at a concept like 50
is the new 30 and 60 is the new 40. Maybe in India 25 is the new 15?
>
> However, the US is the only country that I know where youth is
obsessively idealized.
>
> But there is a reason for this. It's not America's youths who create or
maintain this. They
> are clueless about this. Furthermore, they don't have the power to
implement this. Similar
> to the discussion about Hollywood's marketing and revenues strategy,
youth-centricity is a
> marketing method: youths buy a great deal of consumer goods, so create
consumer goods for
> youths and then praise youths for buying those goods.
>
Marketing is a big deal, but the older folks have the real money. The kids
are moving back in with mom and dad in droves (the movie Failure to Launch,
which I haven't seen), in part because they can't afford to live on their
own. Even the ones with decent jobs are saddled with debt unknown to
earlier generations.
> "Youth-centricity" is a result of marketing. It is designed and managed
by 35-45 year olds.
>
> Why are the weak, frail, and elderly (i.e., those over 28) ignored in the
US? Because, quite
> simply, they don't buy. Look at demographics correlated to buying. Once
they reach 45, they
> literally drop off the charts. Don't even waste your marketing money on
people over 45. They
> don't buy.
>
Well, yeah, to some extent. But people over 45 take vacations, they
remodel their houses, they buy cars, they buy theatre tickets, they buy
presents. They definitely spend money.
> (Of course, if the product is for people over 45, then yes, spend on
that. Wheelchairs,
> oxygen tanks, etc.)
>
Over 45? How much over? Even nursing home populations are composed of a
relative handful of older people, and we're talking over 85 in most
instances. People with handicaps need wheelchairs at any age. If someone
has emphysema from smoking, that's an illness. It is unrelated to aging.
45 is the cutoff for a wheelchair? In India maybe. Not the U.S. I live
in.
> I'm not being reductionist ("it's all marketing"). But these particular
issues (movies,
> shopping, pop culture, etc.) happen to be the results of marketing. Many
people tend to
> think that popular culture is created by itself, but it's not. It's
created, designed,
> planned, and propagated by marketing people.
>
I do agree culture is shaped, but a lot of the thinking is just vestigial.
As recently as a hundred years ago people lived until the age of 40 on
average because they died of infections and so on. That's not a worry
anymore. Maintained properly, the body is designed to function well until
nearly death. People haven't caught on to that idea, and marketing of
course propels the meme of "you're over the hill at just about any age".
Fear of death doesn't help. It's an obsession as much as anything else.
Youth might be wasted on the young, but more to the point, life is wasted
on most humans.
Saw a movie I liked, Renaissance Man with Danny DeVito. It's not for
everyone, but I liked it. I think Lawrence might find it especially
interesting.
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