I saw the Hollywood Costume exhibit in LA a couple of years ago.
It was fun. And it also made the dream factory aspect of Hollywood very obvious. They are explicitly and openly in the business of (a) producing compelling dreams that (b) people will invest with emotional energy so it (c) seems real, substantial, charged, fascinating, and attractive to them, and they (d) seek it out and are willing to pay money for the experience.
It’s a manipulative business. But since it’s so explicit it’s also honest. We know what’s going on, and we – to a large part – chose to which degree we wish to participate. (The other side of this is that we get to vicariously experience a great deal we otherwise wouldn’t, which enriches our lives and – in the best case – help us learn and grow.)
Since the dream factory function of Hollywood is so obvious and excaggerated, it’s easy to see and explore there. And that can help us see similar dynamics in other areas of human life.
The dream factory side of the entertainment industry in general is pretty clear. But it’s also there in most or all businesses. Most or all organizations. And also in all religions.
All are in the business of creating dreams that people invest with emotional energy, draw themselves into, and are willing to invest time, energy, and sometimes money to experience more of.
There is nothing inherently wrong in this. But it’s good to be aware of.
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Initial notes…..
- dream factory
- saw Hollywood Costume exhibit in LA a couple of years ago
- very obvious, dream factory
- in the intentional/explicit business of producing dreams + set up so people will invest it with energy (make it seem real, have a draw/pull/charge/fascination etc.)
- it’s a business, very good at creating an image so people will invest it with energy
- the Oscars, part of it, as is everything related to the movie industry
- is a micro-cosm of our lives, we are a dream factory, we create images and invest them with energy (sense of reality, charge, fascination etc.)