Okay, really soon i am going to stop posting about things in the Times, or at least try to mix it up a little. it's just hard, because that's what i read when i'm at work. so anyway, i was just reading a piece by Caryn James (yay, i just figured out to do that text link-y thing) that criticizes the Adam Sandler movie "Click" for ostensibly bearing the moral message that technology distances us from our families, while at the same time actually encouraging the public's technology fetishism by enabling them to see a cool fantasy gadget. Now, she is completely right in her claim. What is off about the article is her condemnation of the dual nature of the movie. Reading James's description of the movie reminded me of one of the great Ming Chinese novels which i've read last semester for a Chinese literature class.
"Plum in a Golden Vase," or "Jin Ping Mei" is one of the dirtiest books i've ever read, going pretty graphically into the sexually depraved lives of its main characters. But the book is actually a strict Taoist-Buddhist text that is extremely condemning of the main characters' activities, and shows how ultimately turning away from a righteous path to seek sexual pleasure will lead to one's downfall. Beyond serving to demonstrate how they lead to one's downfall, however, the sexual activities in the novel serve another purpose. Like Adam Sandler's fabulous remote control, they allow the reader, to not simply ignore or deny their desire, but to satisfy it through fantasy. Like the desire for sex, the desire to purchase a new and exciting gadget permeates our society. At this point, the plethora of ipods, digital cameras, computers, and cell phones available has made it nearly impossible to avoid craving the newest gadget on the market. "Click" allows us to revel in this craving, and by clearly taking it over the line of reality into pure fantasy, makes the desire into an abstract concept that we are more capable of contemplating. While our desire has been raised in this more contemplative state, the movie then provides its moral message. Now it is the viewer's job to reconcile the morals of the movie with their desire for new products. Because they do not actually have the opportunity to purchase the product, the movie allows for a test run of the choices they will make in their lives. When they are faced with such choices in the real world, as they obviously will be, they will not be unaccustomed to having to make a moral decision while they are experiencing a strong desire. Therefore, they will be more likely to make a level-headed decision. Therefore, in your face Caryn James.