Thursday, September 18, 2014

Fatalism and That's So Raven

Okay, I'm sure everyone's seen (and loved) "That's So Raven". What Iris was talking about in class reminded me of this show. Iris asked that by knowing the prophecies, people ensured their fate. She wondered if the same thing would have happened even if Oedipus and Jocasta didn't know their fates. In "That's So Raven", Raven would spend the episode trying to avoid a terrible premonition, but her actions to avoid the future was what caused the future. The fatalism of the show however is very inconsistent. Raven sometimes does change the future. This reminds me of the show I'm watching now called "Continuum". Unlike Oedipus and "That's So Raven", the future is not determined by visions and prophecies but by time travelers. The protagonist is sent back in time with no way to get home. Some of the events she remembered in the future (that she tried to change for the better) such as a terrorist attack, were caused by the terrorist group that brought her back. That indicated that it was their fate to be in that time. This fatalism again is inconsistent. The protagonist uses her knowledge of the future to stop a serial killer before he could finish killing 38 people. Now the protagonist has changed the future.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Agreed, That's So Raven was a FANTASTIC television series that should have never ended. Quality television right there. But anyways, I think this ties in with Unbearable Lightness of Being and the whole situation of taking responsibility for our actions. Even though we the outcome is unknown, we must still take responsibility for what we do. Raven could see the future, which often got her into troubles that only ensured the future seen, as Hari said. Raven had to take responsibility for her actions, because trying to prevent what she saw only ensured their happening. She didn't know what the consequences would be, but she always had to accept them and her actions. If Raven can see the future and mishaps still happen, it's important she take charge of the outcomes, considering the fact she's the only one who can read the future!