Talk:Escapism

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I believe the claim that "the usual enemies of escapism are jailers" is actually "the usual enemies of escape are jailers" though I haven't the exact quote at the moment (the claim is uncited, anyway, which should probably also be fixed). Though this may seem unimportant, it is significant in that jailers do not mind escapism at all, as fantasy author Michael Moorcock has argued. However, Moorcock, I believe actually misquotes Tolkien and Lewis, who believe that fantasy offers real escape, rather than the illusion of it. Nurambar 14:30, 22 April 2007 (UTC)

This is a short, but very informative article with many crossreferences. Respect! to those involved in its creation. -Ados 12:16, 15 March 2006 (UTC)

This is a short, rambling collection of facts and weasel words. It needs a lot of work. 128.158.145.51 20:57, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Escapism and Psychology?

Can anyone add some substantial info about the psychology of escapism?

[edit] Escapism & Art, or: Escapist Art, or: an idea for the Art Movement of Escapism

I came to search this page as i believe my creative practice belies a kind of 'escapist attitude'; I therefore was wondering if any artist before has considered her/himself an Escapist. I bet there are plenty. With the Beauty of Waste in decontextualised form I find solace from urban paranoia & mundane preoccupations, at the same time isolating myself from a social call for positive activity or political activism. A bit like Matisse in between the World Wars, as opposed to Picasso who produced Guernica. I paradoxically still prefer Picasso by the way. www.flickr.com/photos/simonestrifele —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.184.178.203 (talk) 16:14, 3 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Escapist societies

"Escapist societies are common in dystopian novels such as Fahrenheit 451, where society uses television and "seashell radios" to escape an otherwise bland life, and Brave New World, where drugs and recreational sex are used."

Partly I agree with the above statement: in Fahrenheit 451 the society (through TV-walls) institutionalizedly "escapes" the threat of war and the (supposedly unwritten) rigorous laws that prohibit too much thinking, communication between close relatives, driving below a speed limit and/or reading books. But in Brave New World there is nothing that a person would despise if went trough successful juvenile hypnopædia previously (a fictional educational method to affect people's values beyond their level of consciousness). And we only get to know Bernard Marx who went through unsuccessful hypnopædia. In this fictional world it is important for everyone to do things in order to evade getting bored, and that's why people are interested in overcomplicated games, orgy-porgy events, soma consumption and the like. This is the lifestyle of those who accept the reality and who don't flee from it. The depicted society is considered distopian because while we sympathise with Bernard who once says that he "rather be himself, sad, than another person, happy", trough his emotions we arrive at judging the values of the shown society. Figuratively the depicted state just vegetates, it doesn't embrace any ideas. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.236.49.87 (talk) 01:31, 26 April 2008 (UTC) Maybe I will do the changes in the article myself and if anyone cares to revert it, please refute my argument or at least leave a remark here concerning it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.236.49.87 (talk) 02:19, 27 April 2008 (UTC)