The Truman Show

[starbug1]

What are the ethics involved in The Truman Show? What do you think is the probability of something like this happening?

 

I can remember being touched by the movie when I was younger, but now I am disgusted. I think the idea is an ourtrage. Any thoughts?

[ecoli]

Interesting movie about what can happen when a coroporation is allowed to adopt a child. In the end, they couldn't force him from knowing the truth, I guess.

 

ps - 2000 posts... hooray!

[starbug1]

I'm wondering more about the whole problem of the situation. Even if a cooperation was able to adopt a child, are there not any laws keeping them from doing something like that to a human? There would have to be major conflict, I think, possibly some picketing. I have no problem in believing it would reach the supreme court.

 

And how it affects the person when he does find out, and move on with his life? There are psychological problems and social problems and this and that all coming down from some loophole in evolution. I know the idea for this movie was based on a Philip K. Dick story, and his style was based on this kind of paranoia and control of others.

 

And an ulterior intention under quotations such as these:

 

Sylvia: Look at what you've done to him!

Christof: I have given Truman the chance to lead a normal life. The world, the place you live in, is the sick place.

 

Truman Burbank: Was anything real?

Christof: You were real. That's what made you so good to watch...

 

And there were loads of others. The way they care only about ratings and how making a human seem like a robot. Even the people, his closest friends, his wife, were robots! When you read something like this in a book, and not just as a thriller on the big screen, you're much more easily disgusted.

 

 

It kinda reminds me of extreme socialism, or the uprising of communism, like Hitler or something. And it can be compared to books such as Animal Farm, 1984, Brave New World, and the entire Philip K. Dick library.

 

I want to know some opnions on possible affects this has. Obviously, it takes place in the future. But for something like this to happen, mankind has to evolve into something less conscious, with less remorse. I think it is all to real, and happening all too fast. To be sure, I'm not just talking about a tv show or someone's life, this could cause a ripple effect, sounding out across the world in everything we do. Scary.

 

 

 

 

 

p.s. congrats.

[Rebiu]

I found the behavior of people around me so irrational that I thought it might be some kind of experiment with me a the subject.

[ecoli]

I found the behavior of people around me so irrational that I thought it might be some kind of experiment with me a the subject.

 

Oh crap, i think Rebui found out the truth... maybe letting access the internet was a bad idea, Cristof.

[Helix]

I highly doubt a corporation could adopt a child, who would be it's legal guardian? And if they were to actually do so (weird...imagine Enron changing diapers...) there are child abuse laws barring them from puttin the child at the center of a twisted reality show.

[padren]

Well, there really is no reason for corporate adoption to even be a factor. Truman could have been Christof's own son for all intesive purposes in the movie, without it making a difference.

 

You could propose the child is being forced to work, due to being on the TV set 24 hrs a day. If it was filmed in the Caymen Islands or somewhere such things were legal, it would still likely make US TV. We don't let 8 yr olds make our T-shirts here, but we sure do wear the ones made in India without thinking twice.

 

 

Also, you can teach your child that the universe was created by monsterous pasta, that foo ball is the work of the devil, and even to hate people with different skin.

 

 

In a legal sense, I can't see any reason such a thing could not exist, because we outlaw acts, not intentions, and we allow people to do horrible things to the minds of their children due to twisted yet well intended lies and manipulation.

 

 

In a moral sense, I'd say it should never be done, because I honestly don't think a person can gain a meaningful understanding of the world. How messed up would a person be if they spent years taking bad actors at face value? We need to be exposed to honesty and deciect to learn, often the hard way, if someone wants to harm or take advantage of us. Being deprived of that to me, would be as chilling as getting a labotomy.

[aj47]

I found the behavior of people around me so irrational that I thought it might be some kind of experiment with me a the subject.

 

I was the same except I used to think everyone could read my mind aswell. I must of been a pretty screwed up kid.

[Xfacter]

I found the behavior of people around me so irrational that I thought it might be some kind of experiment with me a the subject.

 

Eh... Same here.

 

Edit: In fact I am under the influence that you are all aliens!

[Helix]

Well' date=' there really is no reason for corporate adoption to even be a factor. Truman could have been Christof's own son for all intesive purposes in the movie, without it making a difference.

 

You could propose the child is being forced to work, due to being on the TV set 24 hrs a day. If it was filmed in the Caymen Islands or somewhere such things were legal, it would still likely make US TV. We don't let 8 yr olds make our T-shirts here, but we sure do wear the ones made in India without thinking twice.

 

 

Also, you can teach your child that the universe was created by monsterous pasta, that foo ball is the work of the devil, and even to hate people with different skin.

 

 

In a legal sense, I can't see any reason such a thing could not exist, because we outlaw acts, not intentions, and we allow people to do horrible things to the minds of their children due to twisted yet well intended lies and manipulation.

 

 

In a moral sense, I'd say it should never be done, because I honestly don't think a person can gain a meaningful understanding of the world. How messed up would a person be if they spent years taking bad actors at face value? We need to be exposed to honesty and deciect to learn, often the hard way, if someone wants to harm or take advantage of us. Being deprived of that to me, would be as chilling as getting a labotomy.[/quote']

 

 

That's all true; about it being feasible. But I still think a lawsuit over potientialchild abuse would win for the simple reason that the judge probably saw the Truman Show .

[Lance]

First of all, it is important to note that corporations are irrelevant to this discussion. This seems like an excuse to try to point out how evil they are when the discussion should be about the ethics behind the actions themselves rather than the body committing the actions.

 

Secondly, in the US a corporation is legally considered to be a person and has most of the same rights.

[starbug1]

Secondly, in the US a corporation is legally considered to be a person and has most of the same rights.

 

are they any higher above the law, or are they exempt from any form of prosecution? I think of a corporation as having more resources than just a single person, and therefore a bit different in comparison. Its possible that one person could be running the whole thing, yet the people who are opposed to such a project would be fighting back equally, regardless of the rights the corporation or single person has.

 

I'm thinking every single person isn't so brainwashed to believe that a truman show scenario is right, and repercussions might be reminiscent of the fight for women's rights or the freedom of the slaves. When people see some form of tyranny or something that isn't right, they react. Conclusively, what would happen (in reality)? What kind of people are going to form a bias and take a stand? That is the biggest question when you get past corporation rights. Also, if people would see something like this happening, a baby being adopted with the intent of keeping him in a dome, would they or would they not be able to stop it before it took place?

[newtss]

First of all, it is important to note that corporations are irrelevant to this discussion. This seems like an excuse to try to point out how evil they are when the discussion should be about the ethics behind the actions themselves rather than the body committing the actions.

 

Secondly, in the US a corporation is legally considered to be a person and has most of the same rights.

 

 

Have you heard of monsanto? or dupont? Both of these coorporations have patented life.Dupont was the first coorporation to do this,they patented a (microbe) that feeds off various chemicals.They tryed to pass it off as a cleaning agent to be used in case of chemical disasters.The pattent was not granted at first on the basses that you could not pattent life.Dupont appealed and the pattent was finally granted.Soon after a company called monsanto (a chemical weapons manufacturer amoung other things but now they are the leaders in agriculture)well monsanto applyed and where granted pattents on a lot of living things such as corn .soy,weat.and they are very close to adding a pig to that list!!My point is that two of the biggest multinationals have all ready patented life. And in doing so they have changed the pattent laws of the usa.The law right now is that you can pattent almost enything accept a human being. for now!If you want my ethical opinion on truman and his delema well its a no brainer.Desceving,sequestering,misleading,lying and kidnaping somewone in allmost any senario is unethical.For commercial gains its simply psychopatical.

Edited August 12, 2010 by newtss

[Severian]

In a legal sense, I can't see any reason such a thing could not exist, because we outlaw acts, not intentions, and we allow people to do horrible things to the minds of their children due to twisted yet well intended lies and manipulation.

 

I can't remember the movie very well, but I think there were probably lots of things that made it infeasible. I think keeping official government communication away from a citizen would be a problem. For example, they deprived him of the right to vote.

[padren]

I can't remember the movie very well, but I think there were probably lots of things that made it infeasible. I think keeping official government communication away from a citizen would be a problem. For example, they deprived him of the right to vote.

 

This is an incredibly old necro thread, but I actually did say in my post that it is highly unethical, and that if done would not be in a country that respects human rights - just that such a show may be watched in them. I think such a show could exist and even be somewhat popular - just not filmed or produced in the US, EU, etc. I doubt a network would touch it, but it would be all over the internet at least.

[Edtharan]

Wouldn't it be considdered slavery? In the movie, Truman, was owned by the corporation and forced to work. This, to me at least (I don't know about american law and how that works), seems to be a form of slavery.