Saturday, June 8, 2019

Entertainment's Impact On Culture

Despite the fact that entertainment is sometimes regarded as a trivial thing, there is not anything contradictory about loving entertainment and philosophy at the same time.  In fact, people who recognize the philosophical nature of all things are likely to enjoy entertainment more than those who do not, as they have a higher chance of comprehending the cultural significance of entertainment and the intellectual components of the more sophisticated films, shows, games, or books.

Not all entertainment possesses any particular philosophical or artistic quality, but entertainment as a whole must be acknowledged and interacted with on at least some level if a person wants to connect with or understand their culture.  One does not need to look far to realize that the nuances, values, and hypocrisies of a culture are often reflected in its entertainment.  While it is not rare to find Christians who understand these facts, it is a rare thing to find Christians who live them out in a sound way.

One of the largest problems with the approach to entertainment taken by many Christians, issues of idiotic legalism aside, is the fact that many don't want to truly analyze entertainment for what it is.  Instead of dissecting the themes of a work as they are, they might rather make an enormous deal out of generic, archetypal behaviors that have nothing to do with the Biblical or historical Jesus, for example.  This approach often excludes the examination of the actual philosophical, artistic, or cultural merits of a given work.

Not every work of entertainment needs to have Biblical significance in order to have philosophical depth or artistic excellence, of course.  Either way, entertainment deserves attention in and of itself simply because of its nature and impact on social norms and experiences.  Some entertainment might be simplistic and asinine, but it affects society all the same.

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