ERE Movies
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retiregeek
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ERE Movies
So I was wondering, are there any movies / tv shows depicting people living the ERE dream? I think that Office Space is definitely one that ignites some spark. You watch it and start seeing corporations and career for what they really are. What other popular art pieces are there that feature ERE?
Re: ERE Movies
There's a four page thread on ERE movies in general here.
My favorite movies from the thread: Into the Wild, Idiocracy, Fight Club, American Beauty, the Matrix, Shawshank Redemption, Requiem for a Dream
Regarding movies that more directly answer your original question, there's the mediocre No Impact Man documentary, or my choice would be Into the Wild.
My favorite movies from the thread: Into the Wild, Idiocracy, Fight Club, American Beauty, the Matrix, Shawshank Redemption, Requiem for a Dream
Regarding movies that more directly answer your original question, there's the mediocre No Impact Man documentary, or my choice would be Into the Wild.
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jacob
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Re: ERE Movies
Dreams are different. David Downie (my former nemesis) explained it well: For example, if I tell my neighbour that I'm riding a bike around in Chicago (I live here), he'll hardly be very inspired or impressed. However, when I tell my former classmates (I grew up in Denmark) that I now live in Chicago and ride my bike around, they think it's superexciting and oh so fascinating.
If that sounds trite, just replace Chicago with Chiang Mai. Or replace "riding my bike" with "eating at an Italian restaurant". Now, doesn't THAT sound exciting? Yet, it's still just riding a bike on your local streets. It's not the action that excites people. It's the fact that it occurs in some place that's exotic to them. Ultimately that's a sad comment on humanity, but I digress...
The point is that ERE is not the dream---dreams have many forms and everybody definitely have different dreams---but that ERE is what makes dreams possible by creating accessibility and optionality where there previously was nothing but an indentured career track.
In terms of communication, you might compare my (food is just fuel) comment that "In grad school I ate lentils when everybody else ate Ramen" with the hipster-foodie equivalent saying essentially the same thing: "Every day I enjoyed a healthy delicious artisinal Mediteranian dish that I taught myself how to make with locally bought ingredients".
Same thing, same meal, same taste. Different perspective.
Mostly mainstream media has focused on portraying frugality and FIRE in a way that makes their main (consumerist indebted) audience feel good about themselves. "Yeah, these frugal and financially independent might not need to go to work, but look at that can of tomato sauce, and look at him walking or waiting for the bus while cars are zooming by."
Hence, if I just show how ERE looks on the surface, the amount of inspiration really depends on the viewer, their perspective, and the presentation.
Generally, I don't believe that ERE systems-theory can be explained or grokked via the TV/movie medium, because I think the it's too narrow of a medium. It's like trying to convey music with Morse code. But perhaps some film maker will one day prove me wrong.
If that sounds trite, just replace Chicago with Chiang Mai. Or replace "riding my bike" with "eating at an Italian restaurant". Now, doesn't THAT sound exciting? Yet, it's still just riding a bike on your local streets. It's not the action that excites people. It's the fact that it occurs in some place that's exotic to them. Ultimately that's a sad comment on humanity, but I digress...
The point is that ERE is not the dream---dreams have many forms and everybody definitely have different dreams---but that ERE is what makes dreams possible by creating accessibility and optionality where there previously was nothing but an indentured career track.
In terms of communication, you might compare my (food is just fuel) comment that "In grad school I ate lentils when everybody else ate Ramen" with the hipster-foodie equivalent saying essentially the same thing: "Every day I enjoyed a healthy delicious artisinal Mediteranian dish that I taught myself how to make with locally bought ingredients".
Same thing, same meal, same taste. Different perspective.
Mostly mainstream media has focused on portraying frugality and FIRE in a way that makes their main (consumerist indebted) audience feel good about themselves. "Yeah, these frugal and financially independent might not need to go to work, but look at that can of tomato sauce, and look at him walking or waiting for the bus while cars are zooming by."
Hence, if I just show how ERE looks on the surface, the amount of inspiration really depends on the viewer, their perspective, and the presentation.
Generally, I don't believe that ERE systems-theory can be explained or grokked via the TV/movie medium, because I think the it's too narrow of a medium. It's like trying to convey music with Morse code. But perhaps some film maker will one day prove me wrong.
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retiregeek
- Posts: 28
- Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2015 1:59 am
Re: ERE Movies
Well it's a dream for those who understand the benefits and who don't accept playing by "the rules".
I find movies to be inspiring especially as to WHY we're pursuing this idea in the first place. I watched (again) Office Space today and it reminded me just how much waste and wrongness there is in the corporate world. Waste of money, waste of talent, but ultimately and most horribly, waste of people's lives sitting in an office hating every minute of it.
Fight Club and Matrix are both also films that I watched as a teenager and made me want to game the system instead of obeying it.
I find movies to be inspiring especially as to WHY we're pursuing this idea in the first place. I watched (again) Office Space today and it reminded me just how much waste and wrongness there is in the corporate world. Waste of money, waste of talent, but ultimately and most horribly, waste of people's lives sitting in an office hating every minute of it.
Fight Club and Matrix are both also films that I watched as a teenager and made me want to game the system instead of obeying it.
Re: ERE Movies
You might have better luck with documentaries. Garbage Warrior is a good one for example.
Jacob, good post. Makes me think of facebook where it seems to be an exhausting stream of posts by people trying their utmost to showcase their lives in the most exotic terms, 'This weekend, I accomplished an amazing bike tour around Chicago, seeing all the amazing old brick buildings and other hipster locations!', 'Tonight for dinner my friends and I are having a delicious artisanal lentil dish, with pomodoro sauce, see this beautiful showcased photograph!', etc.
Jacob, good post. Makes me think of facebook where it seems to be an exhausting stream of posts by people trying their utmost to showcase their lives in the most exotic terms, 'This weekend, I accomplished an amazing bike tour around Chicago, seeing all the amazing old brick buildings and other hipster locations!', 'Tonight for dinner my friends and I are having a delicious artisanal lentil dish, with pomodoro sauce, see this beautiful showcased photograph!', etc.