'Rise of the Guardians' teaches wrong lesson in regards to fear
In “Rise of the Guardians,” every childhood hero comes to life and faces off against the Boogeyman. Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and the Sandman have been “Guardians” of childhood joy and wonder for hundreds of years. Jack Frost joins the crew only to get his memories back and learn why the moon chose him to be Jack Frost and to become a guardian.
(Spoiler Alert: Read more after the trailer and ads.)
(Spoiler Alert: Read more after the trailer and ads.)
The movie is good as far as it goes, but it’s message belongs in an older era. By making Jack the embodiment of fun and Pitch Black, aka the Boogeyman, the embodiment of fear, the story has a great opportunity to reveal a truth about fear. Instead, it decides to stay in the realm of legend and myth and perpetuate the lie we’ve been told since the 1940s: We have nothing to fear but fear itself.
In context, the quote is a great motivator and helped quell the fears of an American Public headed into the unknowns of the Second World War. Out of context, we have come to believe that fear is all inside our heads, we need to conquer our fears, and that fear isn’t real. The truth of the matter is fear is real, and until we can get a hold of what that means for us, we cannot progress as a society or as a people.
The boogeyman is the dark side of Jack, but he’s the necessary side. Without fear, the sled ride through the streets wouldn’t have been as much fun, and that’s Jack’s core, “fun.” Had he realized that in some cases fear is the driving force behind his core, he may have been able to react differently to Pitch’s presence.
Not only does fear help drive fun, think roller coasters, horror films and daredevil stunts, but it also provides a sense of accomplishment. If you fear getting on stage, then when you do, it becomes a greater accomplishment than it would have been otherwise. If you don’t fear rejection, getting a “yes” isn’t as exciting or ego inflating. Without fear, we would end up dead or worst in many cases.
Being controlled by fear is the problem. Pitch wants to control the world. He wants people to fear him, at least, that’s what he vocalizes to Jack, or maybe Jack vocalizes it for him, what he really wants is for people to recognize that he exists. He wants people to believe in the boogeyman, and he uses fear as his weapon to get them to do so. A better solution, and message, would have been to find a way to work with the boogeyman to bring fear under control.
We shouldn’t be afraid to fear. It’s a valid emotion like any other. We shouldn’t let it control us, but it can inform our decisions. A man who runs into a dangerous situation and isn’t afraid is foolhardy. A hero is someone who conquers his or her fear to run into the dangerous situation when it is required to do so anyway. You can’t keep fear caged. You can’t keep it trapped. You can only face it, shake hands with it and make it your friend. Fear will let you now your alive and help keep you that way as long as you don’t let it control you.
In context, the quote is a great motivator and helped quell the fears of an American Public headed into the unknowns of the Second World War. Out of context, we have come to believe that fear is all inside our heads, we need to conquer our fears, and that fear isn’t real. The truth of the matter is fear is real, and until we can get a hold of what that means for us, we cannot progress as a society or as a people.
The boogeyman is the dark side of Jack, but he’s the necessary side. Without fear, the sled ride through the streets wouldn’t have been as much fun, and that’s Jack’s core, “fun.” Had he realized that in some cases fear is the driving force behind his core, he may have been able to react differently to Pitch’s presence.
Not only does fear help drive fun, think roller coasters, horror films and daredevil stunts, but it also provides a sense of accomplishment. If you fear getting on stage, then when you do, it becomes a greater accomplishment than it would have been otherwise. If you don’t fear rejection, getting a “yes” isn’t as exciting or ego inflating. Without fear, we would end up dead or worst in many cases.
Being controlled by fear is the problem. Pitch wants to control the world. He wants people to fear him, at least, that’s what he vocalizes to Jack, or maybe Jack vocalizes it for him, what he really wants is for people to recognize that he exists. He wants people to believe in the boogeyman, and he uses fear as his weapon to get them to do so. A better solution, and message, would have been to find a way to work with the boogeyman to bring fear under control.
We shouldn’t be afraid to fear. It’s a valid emotion like any other. We shouldn’t let it control us, but it can inform our decisions. A man who runs into a dangerous situation and isn’t afraid is foolhardy. A hero is someone who conquers his or her fear to run into the dangerous situation when it is required to do so anyway. You can’t keep fear caged. You can’t keep it trapped. You can only face it, shake hands with it and make it your friend. Fear will let you now your alive and help keep you that way as long as you don’t let it control you.