History Analysis / Escapism

->''Every engineer dreams about saving the universe and [[BoldlyComing having sex with aliens]]. This is much more glamorous than the real life of an engineer, which consists of hiding from the universe and [[ThisIndexTouchesItself having sex without the participation of other life forms]]. Consequently, ratings for "Franchise/StarTrek" will remain high as long as they stay away from any realism.''

->''Every engineer dreams about saving the universe and [[BoldlyComing having sex with aliens]]. This is much more glamorous than the real life of an engineer, which consists of hiding from the universe and having sex without the participation of other life forms. Consequently, ratings for "Franchise/StarTrek" will remain high as long as they stay away from any realism.''

->''Every engineer dreams about saving the universe and [[BoldlyComing having sex with aliens]]. This is much more glamorous than the real life of an engineer, which consists of hiding from the universe and [[ADateWithRosiePalms having sex without the participation of other life forms]]. Consequently, ratings for "Franchise/StarTrek" will remain high as long as they stay away from any realism.''

{{Mary Sue}}s are reflections of the person's innermost aspects of their personality. They are made only to fill the mold of the person that created them. That’s exactly why what a person needs and desires in RealLife is going to be expressed through them. While a [[EscapistCharacter balanced escapist character]] represents both what we are (our flaws) and what we wish we were, a MarySue is defined by only the latter. They only represent what we wish we were. [[UncannyValley That perfection has the price of the humanity of that character]].

As it can be seen from this picture, it isn't a coincidence that [[Literature/{{Twilight}} Bella Swan]] has the same attributes of [[Creator/StephenieMeyer her creator]]. [[EscapistCharacter Both are one]] and [[AuthorAvatar the same]].]]

->”…You both make money off of people's natural insecurities. You show people oddballs so that they'll feel better about themselves…”

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/s_Hierarchy_of_Needs_svg_2798.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Fantasy's work is to fulfill these desires.]]

[[quoteright:247:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stephaniemeyer2_3608.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:247:Our fictional avatars represent [[EscapistCharacter what we wish we were]]. They are an idealised version of ourselves. As it can be seen from this picture, it isn't a coincidence that [[Literature/{{Twilight}} Bella Swan]] has the same attributes of [[Creator/StephenieMeyer her creator]]. [[EscapistCharacter Both are one]] and [[AuthorAvatar the same]].]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dibujos-coyote-correcaminos-p_3185.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The suffering of others makes us forget our own.]]

[[quoteright:273:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/secondlife2_2387.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:273:On the right there is the fictional idealized version of the person of the left. As can be seen from this picture, we fulfill our needs and desires through fantasy.]]

[[quoteright:226:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/beneaththemask_3212.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:226:[[BeneathTheMask We are not always happy about the people around us.]]]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vicious_5622.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The Vicious Circle Of Escapism]]

->''"I am sure even [[{{Nerd}} the freaky spinsters]] of {{otaku}}-land want to be pretty too, [[BeneathTheMask deep down]]."''

Escapism is defined by Wiki/TheOtherWiki as a “mental diversion by means of entertainment or recreation, as an "escape" from the perceived unpleasant or banal aspects of daily life. It can also be used as a term to define the actions people take to help relieve persisting feelings of depression or general sadness.” In other words, people avoid what is unpleasant to them by temporarily forgetting RealLife. Anything that makes you avoid facing reality can be considered a form of escapism: drugs, alcoholism, gambling, video games, smoking, [[JustForFun/TVTropesWillRuinYourLife TV Tropes]], etc. In this analysis, we are going to focus only on “fantasy-escapism.”

To quote Wiki/TheOtherWiki: “Identification is a largely unconscious process. Even though people (fans) are aware that they like a character, they aren’t aware that they actually see that character as an alter ego, a version of them, or a projection of her aspirations for herself. Most characters (including villains) elicit some degree of identification on the part of the spectator”.

->''Even a beautiful scenery , even a beautiful flower is meaningless when you see it alone...'''

All humans have dreams and desires. Part of our nature as humans is that we always desire something, It doesn’t matter how “rich” or “gifted” a person is. Thanks to this never ending cycle of desire, humanity has evolved as a whole. This non-conformist behavior is what made us abandon our old torches for flashlights, the Stone Age for the modern age, and our old dreams for new ones. However, not all dreams and desires are actually doable in reality. This is the reason fantasy exists.

-->Craig Bartlett, Creator of ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold''

Escapism is defined by Wiki/TheOtherWiki as a “mental diversion by means of entertainment or recreation, as an "escape" from the perceived unpleasant or banal aspects of daily life. It can also be used as a term to define the actions people take to help relieve persisting feelings of depression or general sadness.” In other words, people avoid what is unpleasant to them by temporarily forgetting RealLife. Anything that makes you avoid facing reality can be considered a form of escapism: drugs, alcoholism, gambling, video games, smoking, [[TvTropesWillRuinYourLife TV Tropes]], etc. In this analysis, we are going to focus only on “fantasy-escapism.”

-->-- '''Candace''', ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'', "Attack of the 50 Foot Sister"

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You are your favorite character. One of the reasons a person enjoys their favorite fictional character is because they unconsciously or consciously want to be that character. People can fulfill their needs and desires through a fictional character or through [[{{GIFT}} an anonymous persona]]. [[BeneathTheMask This includes desires that are repressed]] or [[{{GIFT}} things our normal selves would never do]]. These {{Escapist Character}}s are never what we are, but a combination of what we are and what we wish we were. This is called [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_projection psychological projection]].

-->-- '''Almost There''', ''Disney/ThePrincessAndTheFrog''

Escapism [[TropesAreNotBad is not a bad thing in and of itself]]. It helps to relieve stress, [[JustForFun entertain]], [[AnAesop give lessons]], and [[http://kotaku.com/5723970/video-game-charity-raises-over-2-million-for-sick-kidsit help others directly or indirectly]].

All humans have dreams and desires. Part of our nature as humans is that we always desire something, It doesn’t matter how “rich” or “gifted” a person is. Thanks to this never ending cycle of desire, humanity has evolved as a whole. This non-conformist behavior is what made us abandon our old torches for flashlights, the Stone Age for the modern age, and our old dreams for new ones.
However not all dreams and desires are actually doable in reality. This is the reason fantasy exists.