By Lekshmy Sankar | 17-May-2018
I love Netflix - I binge through multiple shows primarily when I'm on the plane. Due to the type of shows I select, I'm noticing that I'm becoming more accustomed to shows with limited civil rights, rampant terrorism, lack of ethical values, uncontrollable violence, and disturbing sexual activities. One of my favorite shows is Westworld, which shows us how technology can dive you into a world that you might not be prepared for. I think as much as ten years ago if I watched such a show and if it were against my values, I would probably change the channel. But it seems like more and more these shows push us to adapt and accept more until we tolerate things on the screen that we would otherwise not tolerate in real life.
However, these shows are not created out of thin air. They are conceived because there is a market. People watch it and ask for it (myself included). Is it also possible that we watch certain shows because they depict a nightmare version of powerlessness? Are these shows responding to a deep societal need to come to grips with a sense of powerlessness? Or maybe we as a society fear the unknown and want to play out scenarios that allow us to overcome uncertainty or the unknown through the stories told in these various shows?
Think about this for a moment, how much of our time are we spending trying to grab on to something? How many times a day, do we try to get control of work, people, tasks, or our body? We are constantly seeking a state where we feel like we own something. To be fair, power is intoxicating. In fact, there is a primary neurochemical involved with 'power' known as dopamine. It's addicting, and when asked to give it up, it can create withdrawal. So subconsciously, are we struggling with the fact that technically we can't control our lives and others around us and fight with a sense of powerlessness? In turn, are we trying to come to terms with it? Could we be subconsciously gravitating toward shows that will help us work through our societal issues?
I realize this article is a compounding cumulation of grandiloquent questions, but I will say that I believe we shape our reality. If we keep trying to control everything, more powerless we feel. I think that once we start understanding what type of power we are capable of having, we will have the ability to discover a way to change the current and future world.
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