9 out of 10 monkeys believe they are not behind glass

For those that are not in “the know”, lensing is a term that can be used in place of filming. But it also carries some connotation of the art of film making. One does not film an artsy fartsy movie, one lenses a timeless and distinguished art film. The latter is defined by that extra series of steps that uses environment, emotion, atmosphere properly in order to reinforce or amplify the reaction of the audience to the material itself.

I was thinking about lensing (don’t ask how I got there) and how we as human beings do it constantly in our daily lives. Using our emotions, our past experiences, external influences and even subliminal things like weather and what we had for breakfast, to gauge the events that occur every moment and how we should react to them. Wake up on the wrong side of the bed and suddenly a simple mistake turns into a migraine.

But it also has another affect, which I think is far more entertaining. When we are exposed to media, a specific type of media, for a longer amount of time than usual, we start to reflect that media in our daily lives. I don’t know if this happens to everyone, but it definitely happens to me. For instance, when I watch an entertaining show, or read a good book or even catch a snippet of information on the interwebs, that information influences decisions, behaviors, and actions that I may take in the near future. After the information has had time to dissipate or be replaced by another, my behavior returns to the good ol’ Seen baseline.

Watch a comedy, you feel emotionally lighter. You tend to be more interactive with people and make jokes. Read a story about a triple homicide and two of them were little kids, you tend to be more introspective and reserved. Pay attention the next time you “consume” some media, and notice how your immediate behaviors change. Notice how you frame and lens your reactions to external stimuli.

And when you dump a ton of similar media in your brain, the effects can be even more noticeable. I watched the first two seasons of Scrubs on dvd (netflix is my friend), and the next week I noticed that Scrubs was kind of dictating my reactions to things. I would notice relationships in the office and compare them to relationships in the show, I would see people and compare them to caricatures of the actors on Scrubs. It turns out that the office is not to different from the world of Scrubs… maybe that is why it is so appealing and funny to fans of the show.

For instance… some days I am easily Dr. Cox. Seasoned in the field, bitter ans sarcastic at times, abrasive to those that are just plain idiots, and supporting those that have a chance at doing something for the greater good. Then you have our new guy out in Omaha, totally a newbie, kind of like Nervous Guy, he hasn’t found his place yet. Relationship-wise, one of the guys I work with and I have a friendship outside of work and it’s juvenile aspects is very similar to JD’s and Turk’s friendship.

But that is what comedy is… A warped mirror for everyday life.