What Makes Us Sad? [11.01.06]

[jayhenry]

New Bree video

www.lonelygirl15.com/?p=94

Why do sad things make us feel sad? Why can't we just feel happy all the time?

Music: Wondering Where You Are by Tyrone Wells www.myspace.com/tyronewells

Edit: Actually, a pretty good episode for my money. I notice the amazing gender-bending purple monkey is now a man again.

[gemma]

Yeah not a bad video, although I hate how they keep us guessing about why she's talking about something till the end and then only briefly mentioning it...keeps us all hooked!!

Also is she maybe dropping clues about the shots she was getting, talking about dopamine and seratonin?

[milowent]

Oh, that was a good one. A universal message that makes you think, but one that also ties in well to the plot.

I knew Purple Monkey was on anti-depressants.

And lastly, can someone transcribe the speeded up message? Is it up at the phorum yet? It's probably some detailed scientific explanation?

[Terryfic]

This is what I have missed for a long time in the show. This video was humorous, dramatic and filled with facts galore. I don’t mind the ‘cult’ story, all drama needs story of some sort, but I am glad to see they have returned to putting the story more in the background. Making the narrative a little less obvious, and most importantly to me, making vlogs which look like real vlogs. No breaking into apartments, no over dramatic pacing with sentences cut off in the middle to create artificial suspense.

I hope they can keep this up, I also hope they remember that there is more to Bree’s life than just this current drama. She should still have time to make fun blogs like another music video or a PSW, or at least share some mundane stories about her life (remember when she would just tell us what new and interesting thing she learned today). My biggest note to M and M if they ever were to read this board – Every video doesn’t have to drive the story – you are playing with a new form, what is consider necessary dramatically in other forms may not be needed here.

[dannie717]

milowent said:

And lastly, can someone transcribe the speeded up message? Is it up at the phorum yet? It's probably some detailed scientific explanation?

Found this:
d.turboupload.com/de/1159375/poerhl2u7a.html

just sounds like gibberish though... Or weird whale noises.

[curiousgeorge]

Good one, half way back to a capital "c" if they keep this up.

I have always enjoyed this kind of ep more than the whole, in your face, culty deal. I think it hearkens back to "Pluto" where they utilized science to help advance the plot, even if just a little.

Now, if they could find a way to work in the the science (art!) of yeast propagation as a metaphor for culty hijinks we would be in business!!!

Hhmm, yeasty, hoppy goodness.

[morninglory]

I really did like this one. It had a good balance of story and cuteness. Not too cute, not too corny. she's on her way back up! I don't think the dopamine and serotonin have to do with the injenctions, because I don't think you can be injected with those chemicals. Though maybe I'm wrong. Plus I doubt it would help her with the ceremony to be depressed haha.

And I'm totally not used to the ads at the end of the videos. I'm totallllllly late on doing college applications and as SOON as the movie was done in huge letters it said "Are you applying college?" It was like the video knew what I was supposed to be doing instead of watching lonelygirl. no, no i'm not applying to college..but I should be, thanks lonelygirl! sounds like a modernized internet-based PSA.

[trash180]

Here's the fast bit slowed down.

Sad Slowed Stream

Hope that works for people. It is a bit clearer than that mp3.
edit: It's pretty quiet, sorry. headphones?

It's a cute bit. I liked the video. Agreed that it's a nice mix of story and Bree stuff. Guess the deacans weren't pleased, eh?

[hyemew]

I've been seen as critical lately of LG, but I loved this one. It really captured the old magic, referenced all the stuffed friends, and well basically everything Terry said above.

[Joss]

First of all: GREAT VID!!

I just hope in the future we don't feel the need of "labeling" vids anymore.. That would mean we are on track.. Well, not "we" but LG15.. Although.. I guess you know what I mean.

So.. The video.. Yeah.. Right.. Sure.. Ermm.. I.. Ehem.. I'll give a try:

At first you can see Bree making sad faces.. But it's obvious she is not sad.. You can see she is not about to cry.. So I wonder "Ok Bree.. IS not you, I figured that out already.. So who is it?"

And then this long sequence of explanations about sadness that seem to go nowhere.. But maybe there is something to them.. Anybody noticed a pattern?

Every time Bree faces a new emotional challenge her strategy always begins as a search for information of the actual facts involved in the event.. She is trying to figure how to deal with it.. But obviously there is no "Practical Handbook" that gives a step by step guide to fix what is broken or damaged on the realm of the emotions.. For there are no tools, weapons or knowledge that would meet in power the tyranny of the heart.

Every time she does she ends up with a lot of unnecessary information that only helps her to play hide and seek with her heart.. It's a cheap tactic that buys her time by distracting her attention from the loud screams inside her soul threating with panic.. Time she need to speed up her mind to her heart's pace for it knows instantly what to feel and in what intensity.. But the mind needs time to Analise and process to design a plan to deal with the situation.

It's a delicate balance.. Hard to keep.. On one end overflowing feelings that would flood every space within our boundaries.. Rendering us helpless and useless once drowned either in agony or in ecstasy.. On the other end freezing mind aching for absolute control of any variables.. Ready to seal us in a steel cocoon and take any randomness away from us.. Just to turn us into a perfect computing machine.

And in the middle, hanging from a wire, our little Bree.. Trying to make sense of her feelings.. Trying to keep her mind open to her perceptions and emotions.

I think this is a battle all of us know.. It is a beautiful scene when watched in others.. That depending on that person's reaction will make you to immediately love or hate, admire or reject, bring closer or push you far away..

In this case I love the way Bree deals with it.. I love she bringing it down to chemicals.. As pieces of a puzzle she can assemble in her mind..See how they fit into each other to understand their relation and how they work.. Then, being about to panic because it's obvious that tactic wont work ,she cheers herself up by optimistically hoping the worst will be for the best.. And then when she's used over all her tricks to avoid getting caught by fear she surrenders, takes a deep breath, and then slides down from her cloud back to ground ready to face trial: "What am I talking about?"

She opens the door to her soul and allows us all the way in.. She is in the wildest form of pain: Not knowing.

She doesn't know whether if she should feel worried, or sad, or guilty, or afraid.. She just doesn't know enough to decide what to feel.. So in the lack of a better option she feels all that at the same time.. But she knows this suffering could be a shear waste of time and energy since it could be nothing.. But it could be everything she ever feared.. Oh god! I'll go mad!

She knows that if this goes on long enough she'll go crazy.. She'll lose her nerves.. And that makes it even more frightening.

So far she's been strong enough to withstand the pressure.. She knows there is only one way out: To find out.. "Anyway, I'm gonna go and try again, maybe later."

But she is now like a sentenced to death waiting for her pardon on the last day before her execution.. The same door that brings you to freedom can bring you to your end: "I hope everything will be okay...I think."

It doesn't matters anymore, Bree has to find out.. Like Cesar said to his men before crossing that river nearby old Rome: "Alea Jacta Est".. Fate is already drawn and there is no way back to the past.

[curiousgeorge]

Great Post Joss. Your command of English is simply inspiring and has motivated me to start studying Japanese again.

As someone who over "Analise(s)" almost everything in my life, I can identify with the way our Breester approaches the unknown. You are correct though in that sometimes you just have to experience what comes at you in life and that no amount of research can prepare you to deal with the situation at hand.

Roll the dice and do the best you can with what you get. You can't study for life. I think Mesh has really tapped into something here, at least for me...

[trash180]

This is pretty close, but I kinda lose it at the end.

But, you know what? I really think that it's like…
It's like, if you come into a house(?), everyone is just happy, and you're all like "whee!", and then somebody else is all like "grrr" and you're trying be all "whee!" and they're trying to fight you with their "grrr" So, so, the happy and the sad are fighting each other, but eventually the sad always conquers the happy 'cause you all end up being like "huh, grrrramnitt! People are just being mean to me." And so, and so, and I think, I think that the negative energy will always win with the postive energy. and maybe not always, but most of the time .
because if...
<unintelligable>...if somebody starts to cry, and you're all "ooh, it's sad" so then you start to cry....?...reallreallyreallyreeaaaally Happy. So, I just think that we, you know, push each other away...and we think...?...whatsoever, but...
I really think that's what happens, because what else is gonna happen you know? <sigh>

[wixy15]

I like it. Has an old skool feel to it, almost the original Bree!