XXXVII - Sex and the City and Me

So I had been playing around with the idea of writing down my thoughts and reactions after watching each episode of "Sex and the City", but then I scrapped it thinking, "Why would anyone want to read that?" But tonight, I felt I must. The series just got over [who stops at 6 seasons?] and I must say I enjoyed the journey thoroughly.

Let me just clear up one point first, I'm a TV hog. I tend to binge watch a lot of TV. So when I saw that they were going to air "Sex and the City" once again I was quite excited. Mostly because I had always wondered why this series had become such an iconic part of television history. I was too small to watch it when it first aired, and the movies that were released in 2008 and 2010 felt like an overdose of a fantastical female perspective. However, now that I've watched the series, I completely understand the tone of the movies and the need for it.

I must say that initially I found the series to be too stereotypical. A brainwashing tool created by a set of American male producers who thought they could tell women how they behave - "Women love to gossip and wear fancy fashion brands. Hurrah! We understand women." I found myself getting annoyed with the characters who constantly seemed to unnecessarily overreact to trivial things and discuss very common knowledge in a shocked manner. 

However, as the series progressed and the scepticism died down I began to focus on the other more important aspects, taking the frivolity and overreactions as just entertaining accompaniment. If you think about it, when the series first aired in 1998 it was the first of its kind. A precursor to other series that focused on female relationships like "Gilmore Girls", "Desperate Housewives" and "Pretty Little Liars", and that passed the Bechdel test. The "Sex and the City" series openly discussed numerous problems and situations that single men and women were, and in fact still are, dealing with. Things that are taboo or strange or so common that everyone can relate to it. 

Then there are the main characters. The four friends represent very different types of women, and Carrie Bradshaw [after much asking around] is by far the most relatable - the intelligent, successful woman who just wants to be loved and will settle for nothing less, no matter how frazzled she may get. Her relationship with the commitment phobic Mr. Big still gets mixed reviews with some rooting for them, and some others wishing she had held on to "Mr. Perfect" Aiden. 

But past all the relationships, the ups and downs of living in a city as overwhelming as New York, past all the sex and the lusting over designer shoes, one thing remains that is, and probably always will be, true for all girls and women even today - their friendship. These four female characters are, as they tell us, "each other's soulmates". Their friendship and loyalty represent the ultimate #squadgoals. 

I've been living in Gangtok for almost 2 years now and recently whenever I'd miss my girlfriends, who are mostly still living in Delhi, "Sex and the City" provided me with much needed girl time. I confess, its not really for everyone and is blatantly aimed at women and gay men, but the humour and wit and fashion behind it is undeniable. It is the ultimate TV love song for a city like New York. 

Thus, once again, I'm filled with a little sadness because I've finished another great TV series and I can't believe its over. *sigh*

Anyway, thanks for reading my rant.

Till next time.

xoxo

XXXVI - Is it a fool's world?

Its a fool’s world.
At least thats what we’re taught to believe.

Movies, songs, stories, poems, speeches all propagate things like dreams, love, hope and faith. We’ve been surrounded with such thoughts our whole lives and we grow up believing that these are things we NEED to strive for. However, all of them have one thing in common - they are risky ventures that may yield a fruitless return and cause us to crash and fail. 


Could all this main stream media actually be a creation by this group of practical, ambitious and cunning people who know better, and feel the need to continue propagating this mind set so that they can have a bunch of easily manipulated dreamers rather than tough competitors? [The Illuminati perhaps? {:0 ...jk.]

If we were taught from childhood that things like "financial security", "job experience", "competition" and "failure" were very real things that we had to deal with once we were recognised as adults, then perhaps we would have grown up to be a lot more appreciative of jobs that may be considered mundane and boring like farming or shop keeping or teaching or being an office clerk. 

Instead we find that in schools, children are mostly pushed towards things like art, pottery, dance, music and drama, and are forced to feel a sense of lacking when he/she isn’t picked for an event. There is a lot of pressure put on things that won’t even matter in the long run. Perhaps if practicality and planning had been stressed on in the developmental stages of the child we would have fewer DREAMERS and many more ACHIEVERS.

By Dreamers and Achievers I mean the two distinct types of people we notice once we’re “grown up”. The one group that dreams away their lives without acting on any of their thoughts, because for thoughts to become reality there is a sense of practicality, planning and focus required, which isn’t the strong suit of the dreamer. Instead the dreamer continues to go on with life, dissatisfied and frustrated with the world. 

The other group, whom I call the achievers are those who have been encouraged to be practical in every aspect of their lives - top school, top college, top job, top marriage, top home, top children, top social standing, [and finally] top funeral. Dreaming seems to be a waste of time because there are so many more things to deal with in real life. They go on with life following what is EXPECTED of them, what they SHOULD be doing and FEARING disappointment.

Of course, there have been exceptions to the rule. These are the DREAMING ACHIEVERS. They are the achievers who also possess the ability to dream, or the dreamers who are able to balance reality with fantasy. They are the famous names and personalities that one may have heard of in one profession or the other. They are the truly gifted who have been able to understand and apply the knowledge that to achieve one’s dreams, one has to walk the fine line between dreaming and achieving, of walking on the tightrope of dreams with the help of the beam of practicality.

Perhaps its not too late. Perhaps a dreamer can still be taught to be practical and an achiever can be nudged into allowing oneself to go against the grain. Perhaps one group has always needed the other at various points in history, at varying degrees. Perhaps the new generation of parents will be able to nurture this wisdom to their offsprings.

Perhaps the reality of becoming adults can be explained and practically shown over time, as opposed to the present concept of 'keep them in a bubble for as long as possible, then throw them in the icy water and see what happens'. There has to be a way of smoothening out this transition without disrupting our culture. Right?

Have past generations already tried and failed?
Am I just another creative mind stunned and stunted by this trend?

I don't know but, as always, I can only hope for the best.

Till next time.

xoxo