Have We Lost the Art of Storytelleing?
Have We Lost the Art of Storytelling?
I was reading this past weekend (shocking, I know), and I stumbled upon a passage that I had to go back and re-read. In this particular passage, the author said the following (and I'm going to quote in full:)
"One of my teachers talked about how television and Hollywood replaced the storytellers. No longer do we sit by the glow and warmth of the home hearth, listening to our storytellers. Nowadays, we sit, staring at the cold glow of the television. The more I thought about this, the more I'm convinced that this is true. Where are our storytellers?"
The author references earlier in the article the importance of storytelling to the Native American cultures and how stories are passed from generation to generation. However, the broader question still holds: Where are our storytellers?
I'm not advocating for everyone to gather in the town square and light their TVs on fire, but I am advocating for a bit of balance between the two. We have to ask ourselves: Are we too reliant on the digital image over the spoken/written word? What will this do to our future generations of storytellers? Think of all the magnificent stories that arose from ages that didn't have hand-held phones or TV sets the size of an entire wall. Abraham Lincoln was a phenomenal storyteller, and it was crucial to his appeal to the electorate.
I think this challenge is playing out with the constant complaint of audiences: Hollywood isn't creating anything new anymore, and instead, it's merely recycling what has come before. Wrapped in the safe cocoon of "previously published IP," our creative class pushes out a known story to almost guarantee a money maker. But are they really to blame? Aren't we the ones running out to see the latest Disney remake or Marvel Superhero slugfest? If Hollywood honestly responds to the cash flow, maybe the lack of creative storytelling may be our fault.
We need to find a balance. Otherwise, we could be looking at a creative desert of lackluster stories based on rehashed franchises from the 90s. Let's try unplugging once in a while. Pick up a book or listen to a story from a generation gone before. Read some classic tales to our kids. Bring up new storytellers who have heard and listened to rich tales that excited the imagination. Maybe then we can answer the author's question: Where are all the storytellers?
This Week: A Continuous Hit
Now, I could easily go off on Disney and their lackluster streaming numbers. Still, I think I covered that extensively in our last episode of Hollywood Breaks, so I will focus on something else entirely: The Great British Baking Show. Now in its 9th season, TGBBS continues to inspire joy to all who watch it. It's not a particularly inventive concept (a baking competition), nor are they breaking the mold with their baking recipes or foods. So what gives?
As a thought experiment, I tried to pin what makes this show a hit after nine seasons, and I've settled on two theories:
The contestants genuinely like each other. This continues to defy my innate understanding of competition, but there is something about baking in that tent that makes the contestants become true friends and want to help one another. It strips away the human instinct to compete and whittle it down to the studs. These contestants genuinely see one another as fellow companions on an oddball 21st-century adventure, and we, as viewers, root for the camaraderie. If one of them switched the sugar for salt, viewers would scream for that contestant's head. It often defies the reality show genre but in an entirely good way. If only putting up baking tents everywhere could solve the worlds' ills.
The second reason is more personal, but I wouldn't be surprised if it applies to more than me. Recently, my wife and 5-yr old daughter have taken to watching episodes together. Besides making my heart melt, seeing the two on the couch together showcases the show's ability to transcend generations. A task that few pieces of content can achieve these days. How many grandmas are sitting down with the grandkids to check out the latest "What if?" on Disney+? I'd wager next to none.
For these two reasons alone, The Great British Baking Show is The Founder's Brew's first Continous Hit. May the tent live long and prosper.
Pages from the Commonplace Book
I'm continuing on a similar theme from last week’s quote from General Greene about the meaning of success, which most strive to achieve. This week's quote comes from one of my heroes, George Washington. A huge fan (as most of the Founders) of Joseph Addison's play, Cato, he writes to Josiah Quincy in March of 1776, shortly after the British have fled Boston pulling a line from the play:
"To obtain the applause of deserving men is a heartfelt satisfaction; to merit them is my highest wish."
"Applause" these days is easily attained, primarily via social media, but most of the time, those receiving it know if they deserve it, and they often don't. Earning the accolades, not through some false keyboard activism or cheap personal shots, but by putting forth the effort with honesty and integrity, that's how one achieves and deserves true success.
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