Emotions and Logic - is it me?

[WereBear]

I will be discussing this with some movie SPOILERS because it is certain movies that have triggered this response, and the most important parts of these movies are the ones that are falling flat and confusing me. (so... I will start with the movie name in italics and just skip until you see another movie name in italics if you haven't seen it.)

Titantic. I was doing okay with this movie until I go to the part where she turns down a spot in the lifeboat to be with her Love, and so he dies because there isn't room for him on the door! If she had gotten in the lifeboat like she had a chance to, he would be meeting her on the dock! And also, he would be happy she had a chance to live, you know? It could have been a much better setup.

Steel Magnolias. I wanted to slap this movie. Every single instance of heartbreak and anguish was completely preventable. Julia Roberts' character, who was a nurse and should have known better, made a constant stream of bad decisions that led to her death. Having a baby because her husband wanted her to (and what kind of jerk move is that from someone who supposedly loves her?) right to ignoring the medical signs she was rejecting her mother's kidney and dying, and everything in between -- I was so busy internally raging at this idiot I had no urge to cry.

Rogue One. This was a wonderful movie, but that first scene where the husband is "You are taking our child and both of you will be safe" was completely undermined for me by the wife just leaving the child to be picked up by the family friend, going back, to stand around and get shot and killed in front of her husband. Infuriated me. What did she expect? Isn't it better to have him know she and her child were safe, and the child didn't lose both parents? Instead she orphans her child and traumatizes her husband who had to witness her death.

------now the discussion part

See, thing is, so many people get all swoony over these same scenes and act like "this is love." When it is not! This is self-indulgent emotional wallowing, not caring that it is hurting other people. I understand wanting to feel emotions, actually; a good movie is supposed to trigger emotions for us. It even has a name: catharsis. But it has to be earned, not triggered by outright stupidity and also doing harm to others.

Yes, love can make us act in foolish ways. But love is not about hurting ourselves or, especially, the ones we love.

Yet when I point this out, I'm the one treated like I'm a mutant.

 

[wight]

No, you are not the only one. My wife and I don't watch movies together for exactly this reason, I always ruin them, either because of this or some other inconsistency that bothers me.

 

[Fridgemagnetman]

'I wanted to slap this movie'
100 points for that.

I also read the spoilers because you were so polite about it.

So the boat sank,eh? After all that.

A lof of films are about being drawn in.. so the set up has to be believable for me, so I'm with you. (Is it similar to trying to kill the vampires just before the sun sets? Get up early dip head. )

If the set up is bad, i will actively cheer on the demise of the character. (Enjoy it more!)
I also do a lot of front guessing what happens next or the actual dialogue, or replace it my own version of what they're thinking.

So it may not be fun to watch anything with me, although sometimes we end up laughing a lot.

Tv series seem to be the best of what there is at the moment.

 

[Chance]

I will be discussing this with some movie SPOILERS because it is certain movies that have triggered this response, and the most important parts of these movies are the ones that are falling flat and confusing me. (so... I will start with the movie name in italics and just skip until you see another movie name in italics if you haven't seen it.)

Titantic. I was doing okay with this movie until I go to the part where she turns down a spot in the lifeboat to be with her Love, and so he dies because there isn't room for him on the door! If she had gotten in the lifeboat like she had a chance to, he would be meeting her on the dock! And also, he would be happy she had a chance to live, you know? It could have been a much better setup.

Steel Magnolias. I wanted to slap this movie. Every single instance of heartbreak and anguish was completely preventable. Julia Roberts' character, who was a nurse and should have known better, made a constant stream of bad decisions that led to her death. Having a baby because her husband wanted her to (and what kind of jerk move is that from someone who supposedly loves her?) right to ignoring the medical signs she was rejecting her mother's kidney and dying, and everything in between -- I was so busy internally raging at this idiot I had no urge to cry.

Rogue One. This was a wonderful movie, but that first scene where the husband is "You are taking our child and both of you will be safe" was completely undermined for me by the wife just leaving the child to be picked up by the family friend, going back, to stand around and get shot and killed in front of her husband. Infuriated me. What did she expect? Isn't it better to have him know she and her child were safe, and the child didn't lose both parents? Instead she orphans her child and traumatizes her husband who had to witness her death.

------now the discussion part

See, thing is, so many people get all swoony over these same scenes and act like "this is love." When it is not! This is self-indulgent emotional wallowing, not caring that it is hurting other people. I understand wanting to feel emotions, actually; a good movie is supposed to trigger emotions for us. It even has a name: catharsis. But it has to be earned, not triggered by outright stupidity and also doing harm to others.

Yes, love can make us act in foolish ways. But love is not about hurting ourselves or, especially, the ones we love.

Yet when I point this out, I'm the one treated like I'm a mutant.

Wow... I'm not the only freak on the planet... Not that your a freak... Please don't take that wrong!!!

I will set and re-write movies and take out all the lame non-logic, drama bs... In my twisted head they would have a much better movie and more convincing narrative... BUT I'm ASD... so I fully think a world full of NT's would horribly disagree with me.

I dont even watch many movies at all...

However last night I was so tired I couldn't get to sleep so I watched "Hidden Figures" thinking I wouldn't make it 5 minutes... I was wrong. I was hooked at the first scene. Very unusual for me.

Its a NASA story based on true events about mainly 3 black women... It was amazing. I am not black, (I'm a mutt). I don't see or worry over color, race, creed, or sexual preference in humanity. I see that as a blessing.

I saw intelligence and people overcoming horrible indifferences while doing the unthinkable for that time period. It made me smile down deep inside. I woke up still smiling just hoping humanity can find its way back to the place where we can once more be gentle, civil, and caring toward anyone wanting to better themselves... That alone makes others better themselves in many cases.

As for fiction movies or books... I cant ever seem to get interested at all ... I'm just a real life guy I guess.

 

[fairy_girl]

I generally avoid movies that deal with love because they are always emotional drama that isn't like real life. I try to ignore analyzing the logic in it and just seeing where it goes but most of them just annoy me. I'm more into comedy when I can laugh at something funny that the characters do instead.

 

[xudo]

I can't understand when people make blatantly terrible decisions in films either. I see how other people react emotionally and usually point out why the person in the film was an idiot and what the most sensible thing would have been to do. I don't get invites to the cinema.

 

[Chance]

If I were giving the opportunity to write a script... I think as an ASD person, I would only be good at deeply true documentaries, or digging into history to try and debunk the bunk that power hungry people forced on humanity... Not much of a box office hit I'm sure : )

 

[Gracey]

Relatable, is what it's supposed to be, I think. The film will hook and retain a persons' interest and trigger the emotions because that person can relate to the character flaws or issues or life in general. The film tells the watchers' story in some respects.

I can wholeheartedly agree with a logical aspect though
If characters are told to "run" and they don't run, well, they ask for everything they get.
The Titanic love story, the scene where she's floating on that rectangle of something and Jack is in the water beside her...
How cold is that water? And how soon will hypothermia kill someone at that temperature? She wasn't able to arrive at this conclusion BEFORE he dies and still tries to wake him?

 

[clg114]

As my wife and I get older, we are not as active as we once were. Consequently we spent most evenings watching TV. I do not like fiction and shows that are full of drama. I would watch documentaries most of the time, but my NT wife gets tired of that pretty fast. We both like reality shows like Ice Road Truckers, Deadliest Catch, Gold Rush and others like that. I understand that the producers of these show insert drama just to increase the viewership. It just drives me crazy (crazier?) that they can not get the facts right. I drive my wife crazy pointing out all of the mistakes.

 

[Gracey]

If I were giving the opportunity to write a script... I think as an ASD person, I would only be good at deeply true documentaries, or digging into history to try and debunk the bunk that power hungry people forced on humanity... Not much of a box office hit I'm sure : )

Erin Brockovich? Hidden Figures? The imitation Game? Snowden? Sully? The Shawshank Redemption?
Like those?

 

[WereBear]

I completely understand making emotionally driven bad decisions. That is part of the human condition. It is seeing those bad decisions celebrated as "good" that makes me so annoyed.

Like in Cheryl Strayed's book Wild which was a huge bestseller. In the very first couple of chapters (consider this a spoiler warning and skip this paragraph) she leaves her hotel room suiting up for her epic hike of a long remote trail. And her pack is so heavy she can't get up and her boots are too small. She didn't even try anything on while she was getting ready for this massive hike. No seeing if she could work the stove, no putting the pack on, and of course, no hiking until this multi-day venture into absolute wilderness.

Okay. People obviously do that.

But in none of the reviews, nor in the book itself, is this really acknowledged as the staggeringly life threatening thing that it is. Now, I do love this writer who is very talented and sincere. But how can you do that? Really, how?

Just today a neighbor told me about a women who set out on a Grand Canyon hike in blistering temperatures with no more than a cup of water. She got heatstroke in died. This is Arizona. How can you not notice that it is freakin' hot? How can you set out with barely any water to a desert? How can anyone not think to such an incredible extent?

It's like climbing into your rocketship to Mars having no experience with any of the equipment.

 

[Chance]

I completely understand making emotionally driven bad decisions. That is part of the human condition. It is seeing those bad decisions celebrated as "good" that makes me so annoyed.

Like in Cheryl Strayed's book Wild which was a huge bestseller. In the very first couple of chapters (consider this a spoiler warning and skip this paragraph) she leaves her hotel room suiting up for her epic hike of a long remote trail. And her pack is so heavy she can't get up and her boots are too small. She didn't even try anything on while she was getting ready for this massive hike. No seeing if she could work the stove, no putting the pack on, and of course, no hiking until this multi-day venture into absolute wilderness.

Okay. People obviously do that.

But in none of the reviews, nor in the book itself, is this really acknowledged as the staggeringly life threatening thing that it is. Now, I do love this writer who is very talented and sincere. But how can you do that? Really, how?

Just today a neighbor told me about a women who set out on a Grand Canyon hike in blistering temperatures with no more than a cup of water. She got heatstroke in died. This is Arizona. How can you not notice that it is freakin' hot? How can you set out with barely any water to a desert? How can anyone not think to such an incredible extent?

It's like climbing into your rocketship to Mars having no experience with any of the equipment.

Sadly, I'm am surrounded by people just like this lady... Even worse they know I have my stuff together and they use me as their problem solver...

I'm in zero way some dooms day guy... I don't even care about that stuff. I just live super far out in the boonies. I have learned how costly it is to not have the stuff I need... Sadly people around me know I am this way, so they constantly USE me to be the answers to their idiocy. I have finally just gotten to the point I keep everything locked up and avoid everyone... They never even speak to me unless they need something from me and thats pretty sad really.

Many movies and some of this crap we call "reality" TV I think has helped dumb down people to the point many of them dont even know how to think for themselves anymore... They just parasite off anyone they can and move on.

 

[SusanLR]

I know a few people who stay up most of the night watching reality TV and they even call them "dumb down" shows. Helps them relax, they say. I have no attraction to those at all and I don't like romance movies either.
I like documentaries that mainly deal with science or archeology.
If I want something for entertainment, there are a few series I watch. I do like some Sci-Fi and psychological thrillers. I enjoy trying to second guess the twists and reasons of the "criminal mind."

 

[Gracey]

I know a few people who stay up most of the night watching reality TV and they even call them "dumb down" shows. Helps them relax, they say. I have no attraction to those at all and I don't like romance movies either.
I like documentaries that mainly deal with science or archeology.
If I want something for entertainment, there are a few series I watch. I do like some Sci-Fi and psychological thrillers. I enjoy trying to second guess the twists and reasons of the "criminal mind."

It that like seriously criminal? A psychopathic kind of criminal? Or like a mentally ill kind of criminal?
A film like Bundy or a film like Shutter Island?

 

[Momo]

Movies with obvious solutions to the apparent emotional catastrophes drive me bonkers. At least now I know I'm not the on,y one sitting through the whole film rationalising it.

 

[Chance]

Most of us might not make very popular film critics...
Logic and reason seem to be like a poison to the masses sometimes : )

 

[ksheehan88]

No I'm the same. I've not watch any but Titanic and I remember thinking exactly the same. I get really irritated lol.

 

[Peacelily76]

I can't watch movies because I spot all the continuity errors. They drive me nuts and then I can't focus on the plot anymore.
My favourite film is Contact. Best sci-fi movie ever in terms of ideas in my humble opinion.

 

[ems]

Well I can tell you one thing: I'm allergic to anything that's not remotely believable.

Therefore I cannot enjoy sci-fi or fiction.

I see them as a total and utter waste of time and energy....

As I do with watching on T.V something like 'Home and Away'

Complete Snore Scenario for me.

 

[Rasendra]

I actually rather like sci fi movies, which are about the only ones I really like. I never really liked a lot of TV or movies, preferring to read books instead. Maybe the fact that the sci-fi is so unrealistic or unimaginable that there isn't as much focus on the logic to it because it is already thrown out the window. Hadn't really thought about it before now but its the only genre other than documentary or reality tv show that usually holds my interest.

What bugs me is when watching tv or movies is the little things like people walk into a house and no one closes the front door. Or a character that is a bit OCD about cleanliness and has been stated having it before just goes to bed leaving the living room a mess and front door unlocked. Or a character gives an opinion in one episode but later in the season does the exact opposite of their own opinion. I guess it saves time to not have characters close the door and just move into the next scene but I just keep wondering through the rest of the episode if anyone ever closed the door or if they went to bed with it wide open lol.