Random example for you: there's a Japanese commercial where a security guard says "Why did I become a security guard again?" then remembers his childhood dreams of being a superhero. Invigorated, he grabs a coffee and startles a colleague with vocal enthusiasm.
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Here's the punchline: this character is not the punchline of the commercial.
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Can you imagine the creative team in the US which would say, unironically, that a mall cop was fulfilling his dream of contributing to society by being the best damn mall cop he could be, and that you should drink coffee to bring out more of the mall cop in you?
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Returning you to your normal Twitter feed which, if it is anything like my Twitter feed, is currently mocking some startup founder for having the audaciousness to think that what they are doing actually matters.
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Oh I found the commercial (thanks, Youtube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p65btzALVkM … Dialogue: B: "Why did you become a guard?" A: "I wonder why... oh, I wanted as a kid to become [a superhero] and protect the peace... And I suppose I've realized my dream. *smiles*"
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A salutes with a coffee: "Alright, time to save the world." Announcer: "The world is made by ordinary people's work." A: "TRANSFORM!" Woman: [Good evening / thanks for your work on my behalf] A (it's all in the delivery): "Carry on, citizen."
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"That's got to be ironic, Patrick. It's hammy and overacted." No, that's the thing: it's hammy, overacted, and utterly sympathetic to the character. You are supposed to remember being a child, compare your relative lack of idealism to his, and *want to have his.*
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Compare to the audience’s expected reaction here: Hermione: “They’re acting like you’re the chosen one.” Harry: “But Hermione, I am the Chosen One.” Harry is, factually, the Chosen One. Hermione immediately hits him. The audience knows to root for her.
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Seen from France, it is quite surreal to see the US being the pessimistic / critical cynic in a comparison with *any other country*
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I don't think it's cynicism, I think it's an overdose of ironic detachment where sincerity is treated with suspicion.
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