Escapism & Suspension of Disbelief
Posted on Mar 16, 2010 | 1 comment
Ever since film school I have disliked the terms: Escapism and Suspension of Disbelief. I believe that they are used to dismiss philosophic and speculative pursuits. These ideas have a direct connection to rigorous thought on Roleplaying Games.
Escapism is defined as using a mental diversion, as an “escape” from the banal aspects of daily life. Who has not heard RPGs, Sci-fi, or Fantasy referred to as Escapist? My retort is that no hobby, pastime, or other work can be essentially escapist. Any activity, no matter its perceived essential nature, can be used by an individual as an escape and therefore any activity, no matter its perceived banality, can be used for non-escapist reasons.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge coined the phrase “willing suspension of disbelief” to explain how the viewer can enjoy, identify, and believe fantastic plays, films, novels, or games. His idea is that the viewer must mentally convince themselves to believe the fantastic before them that they would otherwise disbelieve. I think this is exactly the opposite of the truth. In reality, viewers automatically believe whatever is before them.
In his work The Allegory of the Cave, Plato postulated his theory that education and wisdom would allow the viewer of the world to disbelieve that which was presented to them and see the world for what it was. Although Plato is talking about the eternal forms, rather than the separation between fantasy and realism, the point is there. It is education that brings disbelief, rather than the ability to believe. Ask any older brother, little kids believe anything you tell them until they learn better.
A great example is Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat, when this film was first shown to a live audience the popular legend is that some in the audience ran away so not to be hit by the train. So even if we just suggest that the audience was shocked, it seems that a viewer/listener automatically believe what is put in front of them and it is their own active disbelief that tells them otherwise.
JRR Tolkien also disagreed with Coleridge; Tolkien wrote his essay On Fairy-Stories suggesting that the author must develop an internal consistency to avoid jarring the viewer/reader from their fantastic world. This seem like the proper approach, besides who am I to disagree with Grandfather Tolkien.
So fight back and save your hobbies, never call them escapist and don’t use the term suspension of disbelief. If you must, you can counter with the term “suspension of belief.” When it come to roleplaying never be a sceptic.
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I’m not quite sure what your argument is for the inability of activities to be an escape. I suppose it comes down to your definition of ‘escape’ and you can define it narrowly enough that your statement is inherently true (wherever you go, there you are and such) but that’s neither represented or seems to be implied. I contend that most roleplay IS a form of mental escapism… in as much as you are using pretend to expand your experience to a different point of view, effectively escaping your common one.
Further, I believe that ‘suspension of disbelief’ is in reference to the current state of the person involved… they are suspending the disbelief they are educated to participate in rather than suspension of any natural tendencies of the organism in general.
As an avid Escapist, I see nothing wrong with using the term. Escapism is what I do and the reason I do it. Attempting to experience different viewpoints and vicariously experience exciting things is why I roleplay in the first place… if I merely wanted to play a game, I’d break out Risk.