“It’s Just a Show”: Bridging the Rift between Fiction and Reality
As a perpetual fangirl, I eagerly participate in conversations about my favorite movies and TV shows. And as an anthropologist, I’m also fascinated by how the consumption of these media plays out in society.
But apparently, not everyone shares this fascination.
We’ve all seen it: people are excitedly (or aggressively) discussing the details of a film or TV episode. Whether they’re arguing about a scene’s meaning or talking about problematic content, some Brave Hero swoops in to derail the conversation:
“It’s just a show. Chill out.”
I’ve always wondered, what is their goal? Do they assume fictional scenarios are never worth more than a passing mention? Are they concerned that people cannot discern entertainment from reality? Or do they simply want to shutter anything that dives beneath a show’s surface-level content?
Stranger Than Fiction: Entertainment’s Role in Reality
In Galaxy Quest, the cast of a Star Trek-like show meets an alien race who idolizes them and firmly believes they are the heroes they played on TV. Actor Gwen (Sigourney Weaver) tries to help them understand, citing another popular example:
“They’re not all ‘historical…
