A Million Pieces & LonelyGirl15 – Reality is Irrelevant

2 From the ‘So What?’ Department:

  1. LonelyGirl15 isn’t a ‘real’ person, just an entertaining video project
  2. James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces not a ‘real’ memoir, get your money back

To me, both of these are non-stories and stories with illiterate audiences. There’s no reason for readers or viewers to feel cheated if they were entertained. That doesn’t change if the character can give a DNA sample.

We might as well go after all fiction, every movie, book, and television program with non-real people (characters).

Think I can get a refund for my Hitchhikers collection for expecting an actual Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, instead getting a highly entertaining science fiction story?

UPDATE: On a related note:
“…we believe that developing critical thinking and media literacy skills is crucial for students in today’s society in order to participate fully in our democracy…” – Dick Robinson, Chairman, President and CEO of Scholastic.

(Thanks for the pointer Chris).

4 comments

  1. I don’t think I was “going after anyone”, and I just posed the question (which was the headline)
    “Lonleygirl15 Fake – New Art Form or Social Manipulation”

    I’m going to assume you fall on the “new art form” side of the fence, as do I.

    BTW who’s the illiterate audience?

    Cheers,

    karl

  2. Karl, I wasn’t insinuating you were going after anyone.

    I’m saying anyone who isn’t somewhat skeptical of all media stories being not real needs to be more literate.

  4. People miss the point, it’s not that James Frey’s book was some percentage fiction, it’s that it was shithouse and still is after an admirable PR stunt involving Oprah (yes,yes we all know Oprah is an authority on literary genres). Perhaps the fingerpointing at what isn’t (obviously) real is a distraction so people don’t question the authenticity of say…two dimensional new broadcasting.

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