RIDING GIANTS... POWER OF TELEVISION

A couple weekends ago, I saw "Riding Giants" and thought the movie was okay. Some funny interviews and incredible surfing... Greg Noll and Laird Hamilton taking on the giants. Hamilton is definitely a stud. With a friend, he invented the new method of surfing giant waves by riding out with water vehicles (e.g. small boats then SeaDoos) to catch the largest waves off the coast utilizing the optimal short boards for control and conquering them. In the movie, he rode the largest damn wave anyone has ever seen. It was basically a vortex in the water. It wasn't the tallest but definitely the thickest and largest. It was amazing to watch him surf it.

Riding Giants is the story of these big wave riders, of where and how their quest began, of the classic characters who throughout the eras chased their dreams out into the blue water, and of the surfers who still do today, riding 50, 60 and even 70 foot waves in a manner once considered the realm of fantasy. (full profile)

Anyway, an interesting fact that came up during the movie was how surfing was defined by pre-"Gidget" and post-"Gidget." Some of you might remember the TV series, "Gidget," with Sally Fields who the teenage surfer girl. The show lasted only one year (1965-1966), but its impact was atonishing. Before the show, there were only approximately 5,000 recreational surfers, but within a few years after the show there were 2 million!

The power of television. The power of film. It's sometimes easy to forget how such mediums can influence the minds of millions. I forgot the extent of their powers until I saw "Riding Giants." It also easy to acknowledge the consumer or social trends that can be started through the tube or film, but it's easier to dismiss the negative impact of these instruments.

I will admit when I often hear the criticisms of violence or extreme scenes in movies or other artistic mediums, I tend to blow it off and say to myself:

"Only stupid people can be influence by such visual images or scenes... How can people be effected?"

After watching "Riding Giants," I thought about this some more and realized you don't have to be stupid or crazy to be influenced... although there are a lot of them in this world today. It's just a powerful medium that can influence, especially young minds, towards certain behaviors and world views.

I'm sure artists in these fields know their influence and power on society, and they should shoulder some responsibility for their works. I do not mean punishment, but some guilt of consciousness if their films negatively affect the lives of people. Crap, I sound like I'm a sixty-year old Midwestern parent of five.