This week I watched the movie “Possessor” and a Futurama episode titled “I second that Emotion”. They were both interesting and one was even quite terrifying. Most importantly they both touch on the subject of empathy in their own ways as discussed in the voice thread lecture for this week. Before I delve into each film I did want to discuss their titles. I found “Possessor” as a title to have a double meaning. Although one might see the title as straightforward in discussing the woman’s job to possess others, I think it’s possible that possessor as a title could be describing the way emotions possess us as humans. Most of the time we have no control over our emotions, they become us, they possess us. Secondly the title “I second that emotion” is also an important way of describing emotions. Although we might not always have control over our emotions there are a lot of times that humans share an emotion because the way one person feels can lead others to feel the same way.
“POSSESSOR”
“Possessor” left me feeling sick to my stomach. The first reason for this was the graphic nature of the film. There was a bit too much blood throughout the movie for my liking. The second reason was that the film provokes such a heavy feeling of empathy within viewers. The film revolves around a woman who’s job is to possess others and carry out different murders. We see throughout the movie the way in which the woman struggles to do these murders presumably because she has a level of empathy for the people she is possessing. In order to complete her job the body in which she possesses must be killed whether by others or by themselves. I felt bad for the woman and I also felt so bad for the people that were being possessed. It just felt so inhumane to see someone not have control over their bodies. In some ways I wondered if the film was commenting on the human need to make sense of things. Perhaps this film was creating a scenario that explains why people murder others.
FUTURAMA “I SECOND THAT EMOTION”
The episode of Futurama titled “I Second that Emotion” deals with empathy in a more direct way. Bender flushes Nibbler down the toilet because Bender is jealous of Nibbler getting all the attention. All the characters realize that Bender doesn’t feel empathy. This was clearly shown when he was watching tv and kept laughing as clearly devastating news. I found it interesting that although Bender lacked some human emotions like empathy he could feel others like jealousy. I think this might be the case because empathy is sometimes harder to feel than jealousy. The scientist creates a way for Bender to feel exactly what Leela is feeling and as a result Bender feels so bad about Nibbler that he flushes himself down the toilet to save Nibbler. Leela and Bender are able to share their feelings of longing and sadness.
6 thoughts on “Emotions are Super Powers”
hey Ceili,
When reading your blog this week, I really felt when you said that bender felt jealousy but not empathy. It makes sense, and I wish I thought of that. Empathy can be harder to feel especially comparing to the feeling of jealousy. Empathy requires you to basically step into that person’s mind and feel what they feel. Just like in the voice thread Non primordiality, we understand it’s not our emotion and I feel like because we understand it’s not our emotion, we don’t care much because it’s not affecting us. Jealousy on the other hand is a touchy feeling, we all have experienced it in one way or another. Most of the time when I feel jealous, I feel ashamed to be jealous of someone. On the other hand, when I feel someone’s empathy it makes feel kind of good of myself that I can step into someone’s mind and truly understand them and their emotions. Hopefully that makes sense. Good job making that observation.
gcoito
Hi Ceili,
I love your analysis of the titles of the texts for this week. Your discussion of the possible double meaning of “possessor” is really interesting—and is something that you should keep in mind (and perhaps return to) in two modules when we focus on emotion. Your discussion of “I Second That Emotion” is also great. It speaks to the way that we are not individual and contained, but porous and seeping. We “catch” the emotions of others in what is referred to as “emotional contagion”—and our bodies play in an important role in how that happens.
I would also like to draw your attention to how you started your section on Possessor. Notice how you are using deeply embodied language to discuss your experience of the film as making you “sick to your stomach”! And also where you describe the film as “feeling heavy”—another super embodied phrase. This speaks to the way in which our bodies are integral to making meaning of the world. I like that you are thinking about your empathetic response to the film. Can you say a bit more about why you “felt bad for” the characters while watching it? What did the film did to evoke those emotions? What role did your body play in your empathetic response? For example, think about how your body reacted to seeing all of that blood on the screen.
Jessica Hautsch
Thanks, Professor! Yes, I can discuss “Possessor” more and the effect it had on me. Firstly I think the gorey nature of the film evokes an uncomfortable feeling which might be on purpose in order to get across how uncomfortable it is for Vos to be doing all these murders until she turns her emotions off. Throughout the film, I felt as if I was in the world of the film the scenes embodied my reactions and my emotions. When there were disturbing scenes of blood and gore I had to cover my eyes or I literally think my jaw dropped open. Secondly, I think the film purposely introduces us to Vos’s family while she is in her real body so that when the scene of the murder comes it makes an even bigger impression on us. We saw how deeply she cared for them and then we see her kill them. It’s shocking and sickening. My whole body reacted as a result of me feeling sad and uncomfortable.
chowland
Hi Ceili,
This is great! We often don’t consciously attend to our bodies as we are watching a film or television show. But as this comment suggests, our experience of them is deeply embodied. And I think that you’re absolutely right that the film is designed to create feelings of discomfort and to toy with our experience of empathy.
Jessica Hautsch
Hi Ceili!
I absolutely loved how you interpreted the titles of the films. Starting with Possessor, I liked how you interpreted it to have a double meaning. While I was reading your response, I couldn’t help but try to think about other ways the title related to the film. I realized that in the film, we knew nothing about Vos’s life except for her two family members–her husband and child. If you really think about it, Vos ended up possessing numerous lives including her own family’s. Vos had complete control over her family’s fate and she ended up killing them.
I also felt bad for everyone that died or was involved in the Possessor film. Vos didn’t lose her empathy until the very end, but I wonder how she was able to kill and basically mess up people’s lives up and still be an empathetic person. It doesn’t make too much sense to me, but again, this is just a movie.
You mentioned that sometimes empathy is harder than jealousy to feel and this is probably why Bender, a robot, was able to feel something like jealousy and not empathy. I wonder what other emotions the author made Bender feel and which ones they left out.
alnunez
Hey Ceili!
First, I would like to say, I love your take on the double meaning of the title Possessor. I didn’t think about how not only is the film about women, mainly Vos, taking control of others, but it also has to do with how our empathies as human beings possess us in one way or another. Secondly, at the ending of your Possessor analysis you said that this film could be creating a scenario that explains why people murder others…I couldn’t agree more!! I think this is a creative way to look at this film and offers a new perspective on the essence of the movie and how it fuels the fact that empathy controls us.
tpenske