To Be Real: On Emily Nussbaum’s “Cue the Sun” • Hacker News Board

Re: To Be Real: On Emily Nussbaum’s “Cue the Sun”

#11

Post by qingcharles » Sun, Jun 30, 2024, 4:11 PM UTC

crazygringo wrote: post #5

twoodfin wrote: post #4

Kind of strange not to comment on the absurdly prescient film that provides the title of the book in review: Peter Weir’s The Truman Show . It’s fair to say that reality TV and its tropes were not unknown when the film premiered in 1998, but they were seen as an MTV novelty. The Truman Show made what was essentially a metaphysical argument about being the star of your own life that has stood the test of time and then…

Funny, I don't see it as being prescient or having parallels at all. The Truman Show is the story of a man thinking he lives in the real world (he is not aware of being a star and has no desire to be one), and discovering his world is actually a TV show set. And whether he will choose to escape his entire gaslit "reality". I don't really see what it has to do with Donald Trump or TikTok. That aspect of the modern wor…

It's amazing; there is so much TV content out there now I was totally unaware of this show.

Re: To Be Real: On Emily Nussbaum’s “Cue the Sun”

#12

Post by treebeard901 » Sun, Jun 30, 2024, 8:13 PM UTC

ravi_m wrote: post #7

crazygringo wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Funny, I don't see it as being prescient or having parallels at all. The Truman Show is the story of a man thinking he lives in the real world (he is not aware of being a star and has no desire to be one), and discovering his world is actually a TV show set. And whether he will choose to escape his entire gaslit "reality". I don't really see what it has to do with Donald Trump or TikTok. That aspect of the modern wor…

People on IG and TikTok are creating shows of their every day life. While they may want to be stars, those around them brought in to create the clip, surprised / accosted into reacting at home or on the streets, etc., are exactly like Truman from the movie.

Nothing about Trumans life is equivalent with social media influencers besides filming their lives in an intrusive way. Someone earlier said it was fantastical, which implies a sort of positivity to the fame and Truman's situation.

Truman lives as a captive, in a false world controlled by a corrupt evil person. Influencers have agency and awareness of their choices.

Truman was a prisoner being abused since being a child even to the point of almost being murdered to maintain control as he discovered the truth and tried to leave.

Maybe we are all Truman once the general public realizes the extent of the surveillance state and associated psychological control which is similar to the movie.

There is a great episode of Analyzing Evil on YouTube that takes a close look at Cristof's character as well.

Re: To Be Real: On Emily Nussbaum’s “Cue the Sun”

#13

Post by twoodfin » Sun, Jun 30, 2024, 9:02 PM UTC

crazygringo wrote: post #5

twoodfin wrote: post #4

Kind of strange not to comment on the absurdly prescient film that provides the title of the book in review: Peter Weir’s The Truman Show . It’s fair to say that reality TV and its tropes were not unknown when the film premiered in 1998, but they were seen as an MTV novelty. The Truman Show made what was essentially a metaphysical argument about being the star of your own life that has stood the test of time and then…

Funny, I don't see it as being prescient or having parallels at all. The Truman Show is the story of a man thinking he lives in the real world (he is not aware of being a star and has no desire to be one), and discovering his world is actually a TV show set. And whether he will choose to escape his entire gaslit "reality". I don't really see what it has to do with Donald Trump or TikTok. That aspect of the modern wor…

The prescience isn’t about Truman—I don’t think anyone was predicting an orphan baby would be locked and raised in a TV set, that’s deliberately fantastical—it’s about his producers and audience.

Re: To Be Real: On Emily Nussbaum’s “Cue the Sun”

#14

Post by mapmeld » Sun, Jun 30, 2024, 11:36 PM UTC

twoodfin wrote: post #4

Kind of strange not to comment on the absurdly prescient film that provides the title of the book in review: Peter Weir’s The Truman Show . It’s fair to say that reality TV and its tropes were not unknown when the film premiered in 1998, but they were seen as an MTV novelty. The Truman Show made what was essentially a metaphysical argument about being the star of your own life that has stood the test of time and then…

I watched a "reaction video" to The Truman Show recently where the hosts were wholly unfamiliar with the movie beyond Jim Carrey. They focused on the cruelty of faking the family, relationship, and community around him. The film also shows that acting wasn't enough, and the corporation/creator essentially "cheat" to keep him from leaving and being his own person. So you can see that part of the movie without thinking it's no big deal in social media world.

I also watched a channel which uploaded daily vlogs during 2020, and the person said that as a kid she wondered if The Truman Show could be real and happening to her. And now she sort of created it for herself? Something to think about.

Re: To Be Real: On Emily Nussbaum’s “Cue the Sun”

#15

Post by lmm » Mon, Jul 01, 2024, 1:18 AM UTC

twoodfin wrote: post #4

Kind of strange not to comment on the absurdly prescient film that provides the title of the book in review: Peter Weir’s The Truman Show . It’s fair to say that reality TV and its tropes were not unknown when the film premiered in 1998, but they were seen as an MTV novelty. The Truman Show made what was essentially a metaphysical argument about being the star of your own life that has stood the test of time and then…

If you haven't seen it before, check out The Year of the Sex Olympics. 1968, almost perfectly predicting Survivor-style reality TV and a lot of 2000-era television culture.