Portrayal of Jobs in Movies and Film

[Nonsense667]

Something I was thinking about. First of all, I live in the U.S. so that may very well be distorting my view of this situation. In western movies and television shows, usually the main characters have glamorous, exotic, appealing and attractive jobs and professions. If they don't, and just have a normal job that most real people have, it is portrayed as a negative in their life, if not the direct conflict of the story.

In the admittedly small amount of eastern (Only Japanese actually) media I have seen, a lot of the characters just have normal jobs. And this is portrayed as perfectly fine.

Am I correct in seeing this? Anyone else seeing the same thing, or am I wrong? I really wish western media would stop portraying having a normal job to be the worst fate that could possibly befall someone.

[Chase Roxand]

I'd say that it's due to the individualism vs collectivism mindsets of the two cultures. That isn't to say that it's the reality of life in eastern and western societies, but their cultures/media have always been that way and continue those traditions.

[thesapien]

You mean being a spy or secret agent for the government isn't the bestest thing in the world?

I'm spying on my terrorist neighbors right now!

[Nonsense667]

I'd say that it's due to the individualism vs collectivism mindsets of the two cultures. That isn't to say that it's the reality of life in eastern and western societies' date=' but their cultures/media have always been that way and continue those traditions.

[/quote']

Yup, I was thinking about that, back to the agriculture of the two. The U.S. was heavy on individual farming, while in Japan, the rice had to be grown by a community. At least, that's what I learned in geography class.

[sroro]

It probably is cultural and history influenced. Anyway, US media also shows a lot of IRL stressful and soul-sapping jobs as being cool and filed with flirts and non-job drama.

Nothing like seeing premeds/prelaws walking into an internship thinking it's going to be like and watching these ideas smashed.

[Kashiwaba Tomoe]

I'd say that it's due to the individualism vs collectivism mindsets of the two cultures. That isn't to say that it's the reality of life in eastern and western societies' date=' but their cultures/media have always been that way and continue those traditions.

[/quote']

Also has to do with the media in the US being fairly elitist as well.

As for the culture differences, keep in mind that pedophilia isn't exactly fully looked down on in Japan either.

[prideslayer]

On the one hand, I think it's about aspiring to more. This is a good thing, everyone should aspire to be better (and better off) than they are. So exciting glamorous jobs being depicted as a good thing is, well, a good thing.

OTOH, the way average jobs are depicted is rather deplorable. There's nothing to be ashamed of if you have a "normal" job, and the fact that people who have these kinds of jobs are "made" to feel shame is a core problem with the country as a whole, not just hollywood.

There's a big difference between admiring someone who is successful, and denigrating someone who is less so. That difference is the very root of class warfare.

[Fyrecontroll]

I have no ides what you mean...

[prideslayer]

One of the best movies of all time.. even though the image is broken.

[Fyrecontroll]

Damn, shows up fine for me....

[Kashiwaba Tomoe]

Shows up fine for me.

That's one movie I actually paid for, too, lol.

[prideslayer]

Working now, dunno what happened before.

[afa]

You can probably write an entire serious political/economical/cultural essay about this topic...seriously no joke, but I will spare you the boring details.

In many Eastern culture, "stability" is highly desired by many people. That's where the whole "salaryman" thing in Japan is all about. It is most likely a little different now, but the whole enter a company and be a salaryman and you will retire with that company 30 40 years later is still something that many people look forward to.

Western society is a little bit different, especially in the United States. The US, unsurprisingly, leans towards capitalism and entrepreneur. If someone isn't into that they tend to look for things that they "like" to do or "doesn't mind doing that much". Of course somewhere along the way many people get trap inside the "crappy job" that we see in movie sometimes.