Escapavision
Well, today was a shitty day. It started out at the crisp hour of 5:30 AM to begin data analysis on a project for environmental colloquium. The next ten hours went by at a painfully slow rate consumed by a coffee buzzed race to get to my 25 page count. By the time I finished, I was absolutely fried. All I wanted was to shut off my brain and not think about the misery I had just gone through, so that is exactly what I did. Reclining on my couch, opened the wonderful world of Netflix, and turned on “Parks and Recreation”. Before I even knew what was happening, I snapped out of my daze being greeted by the “you’re a loser!” AKA “are you still watching” notification from Netflix. I had just fallen into the trap of escapavision.
In the twenty first century, we are seeing television rise in popularity at an unimaginable rate. Naturally with this popularity, television show producers are pumping out shows faster than ever, trying to keep up with the ever growing rate at which people watch TV. Name the genre, and someone is trying their hand at producing something new within that field. In December of 2017 alone, there were 25 shows that came out, whether continuations of existing series, or new shows entirely, viewers had plenty to keep them engaged.
The twenty first century has also created times of stress for many people living in western culture. Whether that stress comes from political unrest, finals week at college, a nine to five job, or number of other things, you can just about guarantee any productive member of our society feels it in one form or another. Television producers have caught onto this emerging stress within our complex culture, and are addressing it with a new genre of television. A specific type of show that the viewer can flip on and instantly forget about their surroundings. This genre doesn’t inspire thoughts about the bigger picture, or make you scared to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. No, this genre allows the viewer to become a part of the world they are watching. A world in which the complexities of the human experience become simplified, a world in which stress becomes a joke, a true outlet, and a place to not have to think.
This emerging genre is an escapists best friend. Because this subset of television doesn’t necessarily always fit into a specific genre, lets define it as, “escapavision”. By now, I am sure you have an idea of the type of show I am describing within this escapavision genre. It usually comes in the form of a comedy, but is not limited to that style. Escapavision is subjective to the viewers idea of an entertaining program that doesn’t provoke deeper thoughts about the world around them. Common shows within this genre include: Parks and Recreation, and The Office.
Escapism is not something new, previous generations have fallen victim to the exact same stresses that we feel today. What previous generations did not have however, was the ability to practice this type of escape so passively. Television has been around for a number of years, but the ability to binge watch shows is a somewhat new phenomenon. At a relatively low price, Netflix offers its viewers the option to sit and watch their programs interruption free until they have melted into a pile of mush. Before streaming services such as Netflix came about, viewers would have to wait until the specific day and time their show was being put on the air.
This new era of streaming was the birthplace for escapavision because of the ability to really become a part of the world within the program you are viewing. Spending countless hours in a row staring at a screen becomes oddly intimate. You feel as though the characters are close friends, but you get to watch them go through long periods of their life in a short amount of time. The wonderful yet terrifying part about escapavision, is that it is the most passive form of escapism the world has ever seen.
I know this sounds difficult, but try and think back to a time before laptops, tablets, and television. What did college students do back then to escape the stress that comes with school? They would listen to albums, or pick up a book and get lost in it. While these certainly can be a great escape, they engage the escapist, and provoke new perspectives. The goal of escapavision, is to do the opposite. It is to show a world in which the human experience is simplified, and pokes fun at stressful situations. It does an excellent job at masking all the stress that comes with being a student. The fear of failure, feeling alone, or ending up working in a cubicle for the rest of your days.
Parks and Recreation is a show that is based out of Pawnee, Indiana, using a somewhat documentary style of film to show the lives of government workers. What I just described sounds like the most painfully dull theme for a show anyone could think of. This plot was chosen very intentionally. It shows the viewer that a fun, love filled life can come from a place as simple as this. The viewer develops an intimate relationship with each character within this show, and gets to see the growth they experience. While there is quite a bit of character development, it is done in a quirky, playful way. Throughout the series, we see tales of love, self perseverance, and personal growth that will put a smug smile on your face.
Part of the appeal that comes with escapavision is the ability to live vicariously through the characters within these programs. Without exception, the characters in escapavision are frequently faced with barriers, big or small. As the viewers, we get to experience personal gratification by watching these figures overcome the barriers, as they are now our good friends. Not only do we get to feel the satisfaction of our new friends overcoming insurmountable barriers, we often get to feel the love they experience within the show.
The office has a similar setting to Parks and Recreation, and by that I mean it sounds like the most mundane plot a show could have. Based out of lovely Scranton, Pennsylvania, we are taken into the lives of salesmen. Don’t get too excited, because they are selling paper. Just blank paper. Excluding the last few seasons of the show (after Michael Scott moves to Colorado), The Office is an escapists best friend. The dull nature of working as a paper salesman is juxtaposed by the lighthearted pranks pulled by Jim, or Dwights bizarre antics. This shows entire theme is about as far as intimidating can be for the viewer, but engaging enough to binge. What really keeps the binge going is the cultivation of love between Jim and Pam. Against all odds, Jim wins Pams affection, and we get to binge several seasons with anticipation before they finally kiss for the first time. This tale of romance is the ultimate vicarious engagement for viewers, allowing them to feel love which they may not have in the real world.
Regardless of the higher education program, there is undoubtedly large amounts of stress that come with it. This is how our education system works. In order to succeed in our society, you must subject yourself to crippling stress, jamming as much knowledge into your brain in as small amount of time as possible. The fact that this system leads to something like escapavision is slightly terrifying. To become educated, we turn to escapism, trying to forget the horrors that of research papers, large exams, and long labs. I am in no way suggesting a better education system, but it does raise the question of if there is a better way. A way in which young people can learn to cope with the world, without turning to mind melting outlets such as escapavision.
Oh man, my trance is broken once more by the, “you’re a loser” notification from our good friend Netflix. Has five hours really already gone by? Apparently so, as indicated by the mess of popcorn, beer cans, and weed stems I find myself covered in. All of a sudden, scary thoughts of the outside world are flooding into my head. I must escape this! I passively roll over to find the Xbox controller, clicking the A button to resume my outlet of escapavision.
