Voices
typical politician’s trope—was then
broadcast on Meet the Press by
Colorado Gov. John Hicklenhooper.
Now, I get the sentiment. In
fact, this kind of reaction of perceived courage vis-à-vis movie
going is expected. When one community is afflicted with a rather
spontaneous and senseless tragedy, other communities will adapt
by packaging the irrationality of
that event into something seemingly predictable—hence: the
“movie theaters are actually a
dangerous place” phenomena that
has cities arming local theaters
with plain-clothes police.
One problem with this reaction
is that movie theaters are, by and
large, not dangerous places. Rather, a society polarized through
politics, isolated through sprawl,
alienated by a disintegrating social fabric and increasingly armed
to the teeth… well, that is where
many of the issues lie.
So let’s temper the faux bravery related to eating popcorn.
The horror of Aurora—while
committed by an individual—was
surely also precipitated by problems with deep societal roots. It
is a horror that will be imprinted
on the minds of the family members and survivors for the rest of
RICHEY
PIIPARINEN
HUFFINGTON
08.05.12
their lives. It is not, however, a
problem with a solution driven
by the act of movie going.
Movies are built to provide an
escape from reality. They are experiences in which we can ignore
life’s problems for a minute to live
in that collective imagination that
comes with a big screen exuding
fast, vivacious images and loud
sounds. And while it is ironic and
twisted that the murders occurred
in a location collectively recognized as
an escape, it is beyond
Where
the pale to suggest
is the real
that dealing with an
opportunity
event that is terrifiof courage?
cally impossible t