A string of parties around the country have recently taken the cliche "art imitating life" a little too literally. Project X as many of you know was a recently released movie with the plot synopsis of a group of teens throwing the "ultimate" party where anything goes.
True to this motto, the most recent copycat party occurred in Houston where anywhere between 500-1000 people attended. A combination of the movie hype and spring break led people to come. Of course, Facebook and Twitter also played a vital role in spreading the word. According to one party-goer, "Trash cans full of spiked punch were set out for partygoers. Wet foam blanketed the floor. Women who wore bathing suits were granted free entry to the party."
Unfortunately, whereas the only consequences in the movie were a bad hangover and a damaged house, real life consequences are more dire. A teen died at this last party because when police came to break it up, there was mass chaos in leaving the party and shots were suddenly fired by some people trying to flee. This is only the lates of arrests on charges of vandalism, trespassing, and burglary that kids who have been throwing these parties are now facing. Police have said that they have never had anything of this magnitituded before and the similarities are uncanny when comparing what happens at these parties with the actual movies. The kids themselves are flat out admitting the movie was their inspiration.
This is a perfect example of how the play world of art and film is mistaken in the context of real life. At what point do the lines blur? And at what point are those in charge of such messages responsible for what they do to influence (both for good or bad) the public? Art imitating life is not a new thing. However with technology where it is now, the lines get blurred more and more each day. Games were always meant to be a place where the certain facets of reality could be explored without the many consequences. But now, this seems to be no longer the case in instances such as this. 
They should have mentioned the party was not based off of a true story because that would have prevented this mayhem that lead to the death of an innocent guest at the party.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting post. It makes me think about the pervasive way in which media and video games promote violence in society today. Why are some people able to separate the imaginary world of movies and games from the real world, while others are not? Furthermore, this incident is just one of many instances where games and movies have been blamed to be the cause of violence. It begs the question of who is to blame: Is it the producer of Project X in this case, or is it the these kids' fault for bringing the make believe plot of a movie into the realm of reality? When I first read this post, the argument that came to my mind was that people who work in the world of media should be responsible for knowing the cognitive and maturity level of their consumers, if they will go on to imitate these acts in real life or not. Yet, this argument is weakened in light of the age group involved in these copycat party's. These are older adolescents committing these acts, thus, shouldn't the line between imaginary and reality be clear for them? This may reflect a much more serious issue in society today, where adolescents are so consumed in the world of technology they can no longer decipher right from wrong and real from imaginary, concepts that were engrained in most children during the early years of their childhood.
ReplyDeleteBy: Taylor Rothman
This is a very interesting post and I particularly like the last paragraph you wrote. It's almost scary where we are at now. The blurring of the media and reality seems to be at an all-time high, which can prove to have serious negative effects. I like what Scott said too about how the party is not based off a true story. They could have potentially made a difference if stated. Again though, because this wasn't highlighted, reality and media blur to give the public a surreal outlook on life.
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