Lately, I’ve engaged in numerous discussions with family and friends about the role of art in shaping our worldview or even values for that matter, but I’ve yet to reach a satisfying conclusion. I thought sharing my thoughts here might help me clarify my perspective, so here we go! I truly believe that films and media possess a remarkable power to influence our worldviews. While this is a widely recognized idea, I just wanted to put my thoughts out there for anyone who may be interested.

I fully understand the argument that art should have its freedom. Writers and directors, for example, deserve the liberty to express their stories as they wish! Nonetheless, people may react in unexpected ways to what they see, not always positively! It ultimately depends on the audience and their interpretations; what they choose to learn or take away from it! Art can at max serve as a trigger for people to take it as an inspiration and do something violent or just something unexpected! After all, everything probably just boils down to “art is subjective!". Therefore, art shouldn’t bear the responsibility of maintaining social order - that’s what world leaders and the education system are for! Much of art is a reflection of society at a certain point in time! ALLLL that is absolutely fair! I acknowledge and respect this notion, albeit with some reservations.

Now here’s the paradox: people do form their worldviews based on movies and stories! Not everyone has the luxury of experiencing a wide variety of things in the world due to various limitations - responsibilities, time, financial constraints, or other factors! It is still most certainly impossible to experience everything in the world! Consequently, many of us learn vicariously through the stories we read or hear or watch! That sounds a little extra, but maybe subconsciously? Perhaps the issue lies not in overly dramatic or over-the-top cinema, but in the ‘relatable’ characters who engage in destructive or troubling behavior - essentially doing extremely messed up things that are 'easy' to apply to one's day-to-day lives, such as domestic violence.

Well, you might be wondering if I even have any coherent thoughts at all? Surprise surprise, I do! Let me take you through a few of those:) I came across the idea that “acting is reacting!” And what that necessarily means is that an actor reads through the script/documentation t...

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