Here's something funny for you guys!

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

So Me and my mum have been watching WALL-E today, becuase it's a bank holiday, there isn't much to do, anyway, the film ended, and she told me that the message of the movie was that computers will make humanity obese.

Yeah, I know.

So I told her that the main message of WALL-E is that we are destroying the Earth due to our reliance on fossil fuels, and I explained that it isn't computers that will do this, but consistant pampering and reliance on technology could make us neglect the need for exercise, but she said "but computers do make people fat".

I just decided to stop the conversation right there, becuase anything more would've become a row.

So fellow, Escapist what kind of ignorance did/do you have to deal with within your family?

 

[OldBlueEyes]

I agree with your mum

 

[Fooz]

I agree with your mum

I agree with OldBlueEyes, your mother was on to somthing

I agree with OldBlueEyes and Th3Ch33s3Cak3, your mother was on to somthing

 

[gazumped]

Aren't both messages pretty strong? Obviously the main message was the whole 'we're destroying the Earth' thing, but also humans started relying on technology not just to eliminate the need to walk around, but also to play games on and video chat, meaning there was no need to socialise or do sport. In fact, it seemed by the first two people whose computers turn off and are amazed to look at another person without a screen for the first time that no one even had sex presumably the nursery of children is produced by some kind of artificial fertilisation and incubation program). A lot of this is the way we're getting already with what you can do on computers. But yeah, that's not the main message, I wouldn't have said.

As for my own folks... my mum's really bitter and judgemental, especially towards other females. She can be incredibly catty. And then she says things like "I'm the nicest person in the world, women just have a problem with me because they're jealous that men like me because I'm not a *****." And then I try really hard not to laugh out loud.

 

[vidirg]

well you sir are correct, my parents seem to think computers and video games are the problem to everything in my life

 

[Thaius]

Ugh, that's annoying. You're right when you say that Wall-E (as well as reality) is about how laziness and extreme reliance on scientific advancements could make human life nothing more than an existence rather than a real life. To simplify that to, "Computers make people fat" is to twist that message to a point where it not only makes no sense, but actually insults the story's real message.

Though to be honest, I never saw the "humanity is destroying Earth" thing as a major message of the film. That was backstory. Sure, the thing that caused that is important, but the story never really even goes into detail about how that all happened; we just see tons of trash all over the place and know that Earth has been inhospitable to human life for a long time. The story is about humanity becoming complacent in our technology and relying on it even for our basic human needs, and the negative effect this has on humanity. The environmental message simply has nothing to do with the actual story of the film, only the setup, so it's tough for me to say the film has a strong environmental message.

EDIT: Sorry, I totally forgot to answer the question.

It's less funny than yours, honestly. I'm a writer, and I've known for a few years now I want nothing more than to write video games for a living. In my opinion, interactive storytelling has potential that no other medium could possibly have, and I want to tell stories with it. But few people in my family understand that, and to them my love of video games is nothing more than an unhealthy obsession that won't lead anywhere. So every time we have family gatherings, assuming anyone actually asks me what I'm doing or what I hope to do, I explain briefly and they give me some variant of, "That's nice," and immediately go back to my farmer sister for the rest of the night. At least it's better than the closed-eyes shaking of a head I used to get, but it's still more than a little infuriating.