Popcorn Hangover, Research Paper Example

A “popcorn hangover” is a consequence of “popcorn syndrome” in which individuals view movies, read books, and watch television shows that are engaging and entertaining without giving them much thought. As a consequence, the “popcorn hangover” leads the individual to “give the critical mind a vacation and surrender to the Dionysian excitement of a moment” (Aurora Schools, n.d.). The concept of a popcorn hangover is a benefit to modern society because it allows them to live purely in the moment and be relieved from worry about menial tasks or difficult responsibilities. The fact that television, books, and movies can be so entertaining yet devoid of the necessity for critical thinking allows us to relax, which is good for alleviating worries. Since the “popcorn hangover” allows the individual to break free from the need to think critically, this embraces the Dionysian rather than the Apollonian response to humanities (The History Guide, n.d.). To determine whether a “popcorn hangover” is truly experienced, one should consider whether they have any deep thoughts about the form of entertainment, or whether they just enjoyed it overall.

A “popcorn hangover” I experienced recently was after watching the new Fast and Furious film. The movies in this series are filled with pure action, and while there is a story line, it isn’t the emphasis of the movie; the focus is on cars driving fast, races, and explosions. After the movie was complete, I was aware that I enjoyed it, but there wasn’t much to think about or discuss in terms of its content. In fact, the movie itself wasn’t too memorable because of this aspect of the content; I remember the cars and the explosions, but if someone asked me to summarize the plot, it wouldn’t be much more intricate than that there was a villain and the characters needed to drive quickly to stop him.

References

Aurora Schools. (n.d.). Theory of Knowledge: The Art of Being Human. Retrieved from www.aurora-schools.org/userfiles/404/Classes/22154/ch%201%202.pptx

Lin, Justin. (2013). Fast and Furious 6. United States: One Race Films.

The History Guide. (n.d.). Nietzsche, Dionysus and Apollo. Retrieved from http://www.historyguide.org/europe/dio_apollo.html