In class today we discussed whether or not stories could really change people. Can a good story make someone better? Can a bad story make someone worse? As humans with the power to think and comprehend, we also have the ability to adapt or not adapt to new things we are exposed to. What is the defining factor in this?
I personally believe that stories, fiction and nonfiction alike, have the power to change the way people think and view the world. I think this factor has power over us only if we allow it to. For example, I saw the documentary Supersize Me about the dangers of consuming too much McDonald's fast food. I saw all of the information in the story presented and comprehended everything the film had to say, but in the end I did not let the movie effect how much fast food I consumed at all. If I would have allowed myself to be influenced by the documentary then maybe I would have changed and ate a lot less fast food; however, I had no intention of changing my eating habits, so it had no effect.
One movie that did influence me was a movie about cloning called The Island. The story is set in a futuristic America, where cloning has become legal, and wealthy patrons are allowed to harvest organs from their clone counterparts in order to stay alive. Although the present-day conditions are extremely far from the premises of this story, I allowed myself to be convinced that perhaps cloning is going too far in the name of science and extended mortal life. Since I was obviously against the events in the story, my views from the plot were transferred to situations in real life and I found myself feeling opposed to cloning.
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