Escapism - My Thoughts
es-cap-ism
"The avoidance of reality by absorption of the mind in entertainment or in an imaginative situation, activity, etc. "
I personally think escapism is a good thing. It is how most people including myself detach themselves from the stress and other issues that they face in the real world. I play games a lot as I enjoy being able to play as a different person in a different world. You can do things that you could never get away with in real life (such as shooting someone) or that is impossible to do (such as flying or using magic). Watching films and animations are other ways I like to disengage myself from reality. Obviously, there must be downsides to escapism though (briefly explained in the Richard Hammond letter).
Interestingly in a lecture this week, we were told about a past student who wanted to write his dissertation on how wonderful the internet was. He wanted to write about how you could never have to leave home again because of it, as you can do almost anything with it. His tutors wanted him to look at both sides of this argument and explore why this might be a bad thing, but he ignored them and carried on writing about how brilliant it was. It got to the point where they were getting very worried about him, so they suggested he actually try what he was writing about.
He thought this was a great idea, and for three weeks, quit his job, and totally cut himself off from society. To chat, he had to use the internet. To do his shopping, he had to use the internet. For entertainment, the internet, etc... You get the picture!
After the three weeks, he had grown a beard and looked like a homeless guy! He went back to his job and had a breakdown as he couldn't deal with the social interaction. Basically, he had become quite messed up because of the experience. Obviously, his dissertation changed considerably.
In terms of my research, this was really interesting, as after such a short amount of time from escaping/avoiding the real world, he became quite screwed up and it took him a while to adjust back. I guess this is another example of how escapism can be a bad thing, but this is a situation where it has been taken to extremes.
"The avoidance of reality by absorption of the mind in entertainment or in an imaginative situation, activity, etc. "
Source: www.dictionary.com
I personally think escapism is a good thing. It is how most people including myself detach themselves from the stress and other issues that they face in the real world. I play games a lot as I enjoy being able to play as a different person in a different world. You can do things that you could never get away with in real life (such as shooting someone) or that is impossible to do (such as flying or using magic). Watching films and animations are other ways I like to disengage myself from reality. Obviously, there must be downsides to escapism though (briefly explained in the Richard Hammond letter).
Interestingly in a lecture this week, we were told about a past student who wanted to write his dissertation on how wonderful the internet was. He wanted to write about how you could never have to leave home again because of it, as you can do almost anything with it. His tutors wanted him to look at both sides of this argument and explore why this might be a bad thing, but he ignored them and carried on writing about how brilliant it was. It got to the point where they were getting very worried about him, so they suggested he actually try what he was writing about.
He thought this was a great idea, and for three weeks, quit his job, and totally cut himself off from society. To chat, he had to use the internet. To do his shopping, he had to use the internet. For entertainment, the internet, etc... You get the picture!
After the three weeks, he had grown a beard and looked like a homeless guy! He went back to his job and had a breakdown as he couldn't deal with the social interaction. Basically, he had become quite messed up because of the experience. Obviously, his dissertation changed considerably.
In terms of my research, this was really interesting, as after such a short amount of time from escaping/avoiding the real world, he became quite screwed up and it took him a while to adjust back. I guess this is another example of how escapism can be a bad thing, but this is a situation where it has been taken to extremes.
posted by David Smith @ 10/07/2006
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