I've lost the ability to enjoy watching anything

[Brutal Peanut]

It's not that I hate t.v. shows, but I just can't seem to get into a lot of them - no matter how popular they are or were. The only American t.v. comedies I have ever had an interest in, my entire life up until this point were, Seinfeld, Roseanne, and Everybody Loves Raymond; but I was never able to enjoy anything as much. However Vicar of Dibley, French and Saunders, and Little Britain will always have a special place in my heart.

I can still watch other things, documentaries and most movies (including animated/anime) are even okay but I have issues with t.v. - even the most popular shows that one would think I'd be really into (hell, even I thought I'd like them!). I watched a season or two of the Breaking Bad and I actually really liked the first season, but I couldn't seem to maintain an interest. Same with The Walking Dead. I was so excited for Game of Thrones, I broke my own rule and went out and bought the first season on DVD (because we don't actually have t.v. We have t.v.s for consoles, but not for cable). I didn't watch it again after that. I didn't hate it, but it just wasn't what I had expected or wanted. Perhaps my hopes for things are just too high and I need to force myself to watch it until the end, Clockwork Orange style, and perhaps I'll get into it more.

Apparently, my sister thinks I have some issues that need to be addressed.

 

[Quazimofo]

Maybe you need to overwhelm your senses with mind-blowing stupidity, absurdity, and lack of logic to short out the critical neurons in your brain? I suggest playing Metal Gear Rising while simultaneously watching Gurren Lagann and Kill la Kill on a 3 monitor set up. If you can combine the final fight with Senator Armstrong, the Ryuko versus Satsuki battle, and the galactic scale mecha fight and absorb all three at the same time, you should be able to overwhelm the cynical part of your mind and shut it down with sheer awesomeness.

Personally I'd go with the final boss fight of Bayonetta

Spoiler

God herself

. Or any of those boss-fights really.

Alternatively, saint's row the third.
Just.... the whole damn thing. It's just too silly. Too absurd to even begin to think critically about.

 

[MysticSlayer]

Well, you could ask yourself if the problem is with you. Most of the time, I tend to find people who constantly complain about plot holes, inconsistencies, and logical failings tend to be those who have the hardest time observing important details, picking up on implications, understanding themes, and putting the pieces of the work together. In other words, they're so busy picking it apart they forget that works are often multiple parts of overt and subtle pieces that work together, and their "critical thinking" and "logical approach" are nothing more than ignorance and pretentiousness. It also helps to see a show/movie all the way through to see if things are explained later on, as a lot of stories want you to question something so it is in your mind when they bring it up later. I'm not saying that these are problems you have, but it is something I see far too often and you might want to consider if you're falling into that trap.

Otherwise, Jim has you covered [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/jimquisition/8706-Why-So-Serious?utm_source=latest&utm_medium=index_carousel&utm_campaign=all]. You are allowed to enjoy something even if it has a lot of problems with it. Sure, you may laugh at stuff they may not have wanted you to laugh at, but you can still enjoy it.

If that still isn't enough, try stuff that is so obviously meant to be ridiculous that picking it apart would just be you having no clue how to approach the work. Maybe a break from all the serious, more thoughtful series you've enjoyed will help you understand that you can still have fun with something that has a few storytelling problems. It might also help you to put things in perspective better.

 

[nuttshell]

snip

Wow, that was wonderfull. I got tears in my eyes.

 

[viranimus]

Ive known several people that way. They cannot enjoy any sort of entertainment once they get to a certain point that they can no longer maintain suspension of disbelief. I find that sort of sad and cant help but feel a small sense of pity that anyone could let what seemingly is a fairly trivial aspect ruin something that by all rights they should be able to enjoy freely.

Spoiler: I just do not get it

Sure they might be correct about the "problems" a show or film might have, but I cannot help but wonder how can it possibly be worth dismissing content over elements that really only reflect a tiny part of the media lain asunder. It reminds me of how many people I have encountered with the pretty common aversion to "The Walking Dead" series predominantly around the fact that "Zombies are impossible and even if they were would so easy to defend against/completely eradicate". I have to wonder about the rationale of that because that. Sure zombies are not realistic and in real world scenarios a zombie Apocalypse would last all of an afternoon (least till It made it to TX or WV where guns outnumber general population). So I am left to wonder if fixating on such a point is really just being incredibly oblivious and not looking for an excuse, because it is pretty clear cut and dry that Zombies are and will always be little more than part of the "setting" of basically any modern zombie fare that gets popped up periodically to remind people "Hey, this world is not safe and can be gruesome" The shows real depth has nothing to do with zombies at all, but rather the conflict between people and trying to come to grips with a world where humanity's top of the food chain status is no longer assured. So does the fact that zombies are not realistic really diminish things like a story of a man coping with the loss of his wife? A son forced to grow up too fast and is still impatient? People trying to raise a family in a world where death is potentially every corner? People being forced to make snap decisions with nothing but bad choices? Being betrayed by those you trusted? Forcing yourself to ally with those you do not want to for mutual goals? I mean are those explorations of humanity somehow more valid when presented with both zombies AND dragons in Game of Thrones?

This is but one example, that its more broad nature does not aptly reflect the types of scrutiny that typifies the issue, however its more broad nature helps to illustrate just how common it actually is and that more people do it than care to admit. Another broadly common occurrence of this is when a modern movie "reboots" especially when indirectly so, a story that had been told previously. This is seen all over the place. How many times have you heard complaints about a new film coming out that is "just a rip off of older movie X"? This really makes NO sense to me at all because we know there is for all intents "no such thing as an original idea" Most of our narrative entertainment can be whittled back to the likes of the Greeks or Shakespeare. So how can anyone really get upset over a "derivative work" when virtually everything is a derivative work with slight variances, more specialized examination, merging of multiple themes, etc.

Spoiler: Personally

Personally I just like to get lost in a narrative. To me that seems like the point. It does not have to be perfect or original. I can even forgive a few plot holes or illogical faux pas here and there, because I really do not see any real good reason to be so dismissive of entertainment. It will not make anything else more entertaining and really just reduces your own personal pool of potential entertainment. Sort of makes me think if people had a pool of lottery scratch off tickets but started discarding them without checking if they are winners for reasons like they didn't like the cards name, or its graphics, or would have tried to match slot machine icons instead of pairs of numbers. Even if very few will end up being winners, what is the point of getting rid of those that might?

Spoiler: TL;DR - It could be worse

That is the point of these things, entertainment. It is supposed to be something to allow you a sense of escapism from the mundane. In fact a "disposable experience" meant to divert your attention. So what if it is not original, or flawed? Still a world better and more enjoyable than "reality TV" where typically you are just taking schadenfreude from the misery, naivete, gullibility, etc of real people. Plus, it could always be worse, you could be working.

Spoiler: Edit: Just as guilty *potential spoilers for the show Misfits

I will confess there was one instance, quite recently where I finally just gave up on a show. Misfits. I absolutely loved the first season. The second season was kinda weak by comparison and its move from something relatively logical to pointlessly comic was grinding the series down to nothing worth watching.. The third season was hard to suffer through, but if nothing else it was needed simply to wrap up the general "temporal loop" plot. The fourth and fifth seasons simply should never have existed as for as much as the show intended to "wrap up loose ends", the ending of the 3rd season was far better cut point than what basically amounted to re piloting the series. But for all the potential the series had started with it ended up failing miserably.

Once it becomes clear that there is no point to what happens to the characters and they give up trying to come to terms with their circumstances, abandoning any pretense of taking their circumstances seriously I found it harder and harder to have any concern about the characters to continue watching. Even for a comedy, if the characters can't be bothered to care about their own situation, why should I?

 

[michael87cn]

Try to think of how you would do things differently, like, fully think it through (finances, time, actors impatience etc.) and then realize how difficult it would be to make a perfect tv show. Then, calm down for petes sake and just accept things as they are.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Maybe you could err try switching your brain off? It's best try no to overthink everything tha happened in the show as the whole point to playing game, reading book or watching stuff etc is to escape from reality (and aswell to pass the time). Maybe you just need a solid short break from watching anything to put your mind at ease.

 

[lacktheknack]

I can't watch anything anymore (TV, movies, even youtube videos) without mentally picking it apart looking for inconsistencies, plot holes, lack of conventional logic, etc. I'm locked in this state of perpetual criticism of virtually everything I see and I can't fucking take it anymore.

A. You're clinically depressed. See a doctor, get medication.

B. You've spent too much time with a certain kind of person, and their endless criticism has rubbed off on you. Try hanging out with different kinds of people.

C. You refuse to scream "WHO CARES?" at your brain. You'll have to force yourself to stop thinking for a while when you watch TV.

D. You've developed a hyper-critical mind naturally (and quickly). Short of neuroplastic exercises, you're hooped. Try reading books of philosophy and scientific discourse instead.

E. You've developed an aversion to TV (that's what's happened to me). You're probably doomed.

 

[Norithics]

I find that a lot of people have this issue, and I almost universally blame TVTropes. For people who create, it's an excellent resource, but for people who don't, it creates a ton of really mediocre critics. I've even had people straight up tell me things like "Don't use this trope in your upcoming novel chapters or I'll roll my eyes so hard!" to which the only proper response is, "I've had you hooked this entire time; I could figure out how to do exactly that and make you like it. Calm down."

 

[jpoon]

Personally I blame mainstream media and the continual tripe they spew, rather sickening to me. I seriously think our society is dead set on dumbing themselves down in any way possible, especially in the states.

 

[xshadowscreamx]

I agree with overwhelming your senses, but I will put a spin in things I would suggest wacth some of the most messed up movies out there, fry those annoying film critic Brain cells. Martyrs, very good plot, great acting and holy shit did that just happen. A Serbian film, HOLY SHit DID THAT just hAPPEN. oldboy, not really messed up just awesome. Irreversible, it's a revenge movie in reverse. Cannibal holocuast, can't spell that word tonight.


Edit: I have watched a lot of Moviebob and I believe that ruined my watching of hansel and gretal witch hunters, yes it stupid but it's my kind of stupid. I think back now and realised that was a fun movie I should watch it again.

 

[faefrost]

Just sit back and go with a Duck Dynasty or Honey BooBoo marathon. Either it will shock you back into likeing your classic well made entertainment... or you just wont care anymore and join the lobotomized herd.

 

[mindfaQ]

First world problems. If you can't enjoy mindless fun you may find peace in working through philosophical texts. Or why not read some Proust or Ulysses by James Joyce.

oldboy, not really messed up just awesome. Irreversible, it's a revenge movie in reverse

One of the most overrated films imo. Mediocre actors, bad screenplay, silly storyline.

 

[The Feast]

First world problems. If you can't enjoy mindless fun you may find peace in working through philosophical texts. Or why not read some Proust or Ulysses by James Joyce.

oldboy, not really messed up just awesome. Irreversible, it's a revenge movie in reverse

One of the most overrated films imo. Mediocre actors, bad screenplay, silly storyline.

Watch Oldboy from the Escapist forum suggestion, I don't feel like I enjoy it but only cringe worthy in the end. Now, on the topic considering on how to help the cure. Why not just watch the Blu-Ray DVD of any series? Go watch Breaking Bad I say.

 

[Herzesser]

You aren't the problem, Zipzip. Or at least you don't have to be. If you're literally clinically depressed, there is help but if you're just bored and disgusted with what's in front of you, I urge you to simply change what's in front of you.

You don't have to lobotomize yourself to be happy. Finding the satisfaction you crave will not make you unlikeable to anyone who you should have in your life. This isn't to say you need to be the health nut lecturing people who want to go to McDonald's for whatever reason, of course, but anyone who'd scream at you for wanting to skip McDonald's in lieu of something less offensive to your palate is not your friend.

Your body is your own and you don't have to maim it to be happy.

Your mind is your own and you don't have to maim it to be happy.

But you will have to work because you're trying to consume media in a different way. Jim Sterling's "why so serious" isn't about you, a person who's looking for quality, but about people who make "XBox Gamer" or "PS4 Supporter" the beginning and end of their identity and refuse to take a nuanced look at things.

You're trying to take nuanced looks at the things you consume. That's good. Feed that beast and wash it down with the frustrated tears of people who just want you to like it because it's fun and also they like it and also reasons that have nothing to do with you or the way you're engaging with the thing.

TV is not, by it's nature, bad or dumb or low-quality; just that Sturgeon's Law applies and 90% of everything is crap.
Video games, by their nature, are not bad or dumb or knee-jerkingly violent; just that Sturgeon's Law applies.
Movies are not, by their nature, bad or dumb or cookie-cutter; Sturgeon's Law applies.
Books are not, by their nature, bad or dumb or written by idiots who think they're clever; Sturgeon's Law applies.

Vary your tastes and become the triune godhead boy-king!

 

[Someone Depressing]

Watch all episodes of Pokemon

>Appreciate everything 15% more

 

[Coakle]

Try reading books of philosophy and scientific discourse instead.

I'm gonna take your post more seriously than intended.

It seems like the guy is only being disenfranchised by passive media consumption. Engaging in something more active like reading or writing, would probably be enough to let his mind enjoy settling down a bit.

 

[lacktheknack]

Try reading books of philosophy and scientific discourse instead.

I'm gonna take your post more seriously than intended.

It seems like the guy is only being disenfranchised by passive media consumption. Engaging in something more active like reading or writing, would probably be enough to let his mind enjoy settling down a bit.

This is true.

Ironically, I was starting to get bored of gaming, but my recent dipping into game reviewing has sparked a love for games again.

 

[Fox12]

Congratulations, you've just realized most t.v. and movies suck. It's not you, it's them.

In all seriousness I'm pretty critical, but I actually enjoy it. I like picking apart stupid things. If you really hate it then I see two possible options:

1). Watch/read more intellectually gratifying material. Read more classic literature, it's classic for a reason. Some will be good, some will be bad, but it will all be worth it. If there isn't anything out there that interests you then maybe you should write the kind of stories you want to read. That's what Tolkien did, and I would say it worked out pretty well for him. Branch out and try new things. Try new genres. There's a lot out there, humans have been on this planet for well over 10,000 years. You'll find something you like, I promise. I want to be a writer, so I'm CONSTANTLY picking apart everything I see.

2). Watch something so stupid that it's beyond criticism. Sharknado. Saints Row 3. Anything. You can't exactly pick apart the Shakespearean brilliance of Saints Row. Just laugh and parody it.

Also, maybe stay away from TV tropes, it will only worsen your condition...

 

[Something Amyss]

F

Have you tried liking things?

"There's your problem!"

I'm still able to crush that voice in order to enjoy good story though. If its good I'll be too busy following the story to pay any heed to those technical voices in my head screaming to analyze it.

I feel the same way about narrative and plot. When it comes down to it, I still notice, but I don't care when it's enjoyable. Then again, there's the Jimquisition from this week, which talks about people mocking things they love, and I do that. It's like, I'm aware of every nit to pick, every inconsistency, every contradiction, but if I'm enjoying myself....I don't care.