Fright, Fear and Black Mirror
By ice rivers
- 353 reads
A couple of days ago I wrote in praise of Black Mirror and perhaps inadvertently discouraged a friend or two from watching it for fear of being frightened.
Seems like a good time to differentiate between fear and fright.
I am often afraid, less often frightened. Fear is fueled by anxiety, fright ignited by surprise and amplified through astonishment.
Anxiety is as prevalent and undeniable as mortality. Since wisdom is based on insecurity rather than bliss, fear crops up everywhere but not suddenly.
Fright on the other hand (or in the other shadow) pops up suddenly. We go to a scary movie, we expect to be scared. We were probably scared when we walked into the show. Scary movies are to fear what honky tonk is to blues. We are celebrating our need for healing fear as we plunk down our money for a show just as we celebrate our desire for curative blues when we go honky tonking.
We know the boogeyman is going to appear; we don't know exactly when or where. If he/she/it appears suddenly, we add fright to our fear. Fear momentarily disappears in the wake of shock. We jump from our seats instinctively elevated by fight or flight reflex.
Then as we return to our seats fright disappears as suddenly as it appeared.
Fear returns.
Eventually wisdom emerges and with the laughter of one relieved rides shotgun with fear as patience rides shotgun with grief.
Black Mirror is more fearsome than frightening.
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