This Is Emo

Reading Summary

This chapter of Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman talks about the unattainable love seen in media. This fake love has created a standard in society which has made each individual expect more from their significant other in order to meet the demands established by a character in a certain movie or television show. Movies have also created many scenarios of impossible love happen making individuals believe that what they are seeing can happen to them. The book uses the movie When Harry Met Sally as an example of one unique scenario. The movie’s message was the plausibility that your best friend could become your soul mate. This plus the common theme “everything will work out somehow” seen in movies create an even more unrealistic expectation. Television and movies are not real life.

Outside Example

This chapter reminded me of the movie The Proposal starring Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock. The movie is about Margaret (Sandra Bullock) convincing her assistant Andrew (Ryan Reynolds) to pretend they are a couple that will get married soon so Margaret isn’t deported to Canada. Despite many legal consequences it may have, Andrew agrees but only if Margaret gives him a promotion in the company. The major problem is that they make up a story that they will visit Andrew’s family and get married there. It comes as a surprise to all his family because they hadn’t heard of Andrew having a significant other. Although many problems arise in the movie, in the end Andrew and Margaret end up falling in love.

Reading Connection

This chapter reminded me of The Proposal because in the movie we see a very complicated situation where an editor has to act that she will marry her assistant in order to keep her job. Similar to the example the chapter used, this movie creates a very unlikely story but many individuals can relate to it because most of the population works and might hate a coworker/manager similar to the movie. Thus individuals can place themselves in these kinds of what ifs and believe these things are actually possible (similar to your best friend can become your soulmate). In this example, the movie, similar to the chapter shows the theme of “it will work out in the end somehow.” In the movie, Andrew’s family finds out and the deportation officer after Margaret ends up busting them. Seeming like Margaret was going to lose her job and get deported, Andrew finds her and tells her how he really feels and proposes to her, she ends up keeping her job and both end up happy. This is something very unrealistic and sends a message to society of no matter how hard a situation can be, it will be fine in the end.