Escape to Reality
My name is Allen Pines. I am an actor and avid sports fan. Those are my two outlets for escaping from real life, however sports are a great reminder of just how real life is, and a perfect example of how we can rise up from the roughest of circumstances to succeed.
I live in America, a country where two sides are constantly opposing each other. Republicans and Democrats. Hm, seems like the perfect plot of a sporting event. Two sides trying to master their way of life competing in a test of wit, strength, overall ability at their craft. We live in a country where one race can hate another for being different or unequal. Isn’t that similar to the point that sports analysts, or movie critics are telling people who are trying their best (in most cases) to earn a buck and live life that they aren’t cutting it? In life, we get our hopes up. When watching sports, we get our hopes up our team or individual competitor will come out the victor. When watching movies or television, we have our high hopes that we will enjoy the show!
Ever have that awesome date which couldn’t have gone better? Then what? He or she doesn’t like you, and all you will be is friends? That kind of reminds me of how a Patriots fan feels about the 2007 season. A perfect time while it lasted, but ultimately a failure. Ever have a great job, but your company unexpectedly went under and you were jobless? Well, how do you think the Baltimore Colts fans felt?
Life has its conflicts, and we wouldn’t have movies or television or theatre without conflict. So what makes things different? You’re not in the show or movie you’re watching. You aren’t dealing with the consequences and making the decisions those in the film are facing. Even movies like Independence Day and the forthcoming Sci-Fi flick Avatar can relate to the point I’m trying to make. You may not be fighting a race of extraterrestrials, but you have your own fight to deal with when you leave the theatre. Cancer, sickness, poverty can be just as threatening and as frightening as dealing with Freddy Krueger or a Robert Wuhl performance. (That’s my harsh opinion of the acting of Robert Wuhl, Cobb could’ve been great. Tommy Lee Jones could’ve been excused for pulling the antics of Terrell Owens regarding that film; he really did carry all the weight.)
The point is…our everyday escapes aren’t necessarily an escape, but a clear reminder that others have it just as tough, and even in the most grandiose of stages and circumstances, we can either rise above, or sulk and give up. There are clear examples of both in sports and cinema history, which storyline are you willing to take?
I am a Detroit Tigers fan. This season was a roller coaster ride…Literally, I waited on a long line since the end of last season eagerly anticipating opening day, where the old adage that on opening day every team is in first place. Well, the season started just like a roller coaster, going up. Things were looking good. Then, naturally, there were many twists and turns, and then, everything took a nose dive, that HUGE drop that every wooden roller coaster, at least, has now a days. That final twist before the ride came to a halt would be the one game playoff versus the twins. We lost. I say we, because we identify with our favorite teams, characters. We are used to being on teams that we aren’t getting paid to play for. What I’m saying is this, are sports and movies necessarily an escape from everyday life? I feel not, I feel that they are a reminder that others are fighting the fight with us. Even our favorite of pastimes presents us a reason for self evaluation, and just proves that no matter the situation, there are always two sides, and a path to choose an outcome.
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