In writing this post, I can't help but think of that old adage: Location, location, location. Even in a media context, the spatial location in which it takes place as well as the context in which it is given are vital to the understanding of it. The "location", physical or contextual, of the media is given in order to give the audience a figurative lens to view it through. It is the audience's duty to actively watch for these cues in media, as well as to keep these in mind in their daily lives.
Actively seeing the ordinary things in life is actually something that I think about a lot. Early on in childhood, it became apparent that I had terrible vision. I had great difficulty seeing anything across the room from me. After I got glasses, the entire world opened up to me anew. Suddenly I could see individual leaves on a tree from several feet away! I have always taken special care to not take this gift of sight for granted, which so many see as commonplace and ordinary.
My favorite television shows are Monk and Psych from USA Network. In these shows, the protagonists act as detectives solving crimes that the police could not. How do they do this? They pay special attention to the ordinary elements of the scene. Ordinary objects and events carry lots of power, which is why they persist in every day life. Like the song says, 'Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got until it's gone'. The ordinary should be celebrated simply for that reason- that it is ordinary. Tomorrow something could drastically change, and what is normal would change with it. These ordinary objects are actually resources in providing context to the story at hand. Understanding how to actively see the ordinary in life and media is a powerful tool.
Your perspective on seeking the ordinary, and actually "seeking" the ordinary is very insightful! I had an "AH HA!" moment when I read about the your locations insight. I definitely agree. I never even considered how locations play into this until now. I recognized how significant locations are, for it provides the place, the opportunity to "seek." Locations allow us to see through that figurative lens. Thanks for pointing that out.
ReplyDeleteI, too, find myself taking sight for granted. I had a similar experience experience two years ago when I got glasses. I never realized that each leaf was embossed with delicate veins, and could pillow drops of water. Each leaf had a life. And one tree hosted millions of these lives. It was a beautiful discovery. Now thinking of it, I really take my sight for granted...