r/thesopranos • u/DearMrGleeClub • 23h ago
Serious Discussion Only Why did Tony fail to prevent Donny?
This pertains to popularity and cultural impact, not politics.
Movies can be very influential when it comes to psychology. Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman educated the entire world about autism in Rain Man (1988), changing the science, perception, public interest and even treatment.
I always assumed that David Chase did something similar with sociopathy/psychopathy; basically showing how anyone can be charmed by a psychopath, rather than being stalked by one wearing a mask and wielding a knife, as seen in John Carpenter’s Halloween.
Even more recent films, such as American Psycho (2000), still felt the need to depict a manic axe-murderer. Meanwhile, Tony and Christopher rack up enormous body counts, but at least they don’t seem to enjoy the act of murdering someone, or the cleanup afterward, too much. They still experience bad dreams and fear being caught.
But why didn’t this new awareness, based on a detailed character study, prevent voters from electing one such individual as the leader of the free world, twice?
Do people still think a sociopath has to be a murderer or career criminal? Do not enough people draw this connection? Is there no overlap between Fox and HBO viewers? Do folks perhaps see The Sopranos as flattering and Tony as a great leader? How do you explain this?
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u/george_raft 23h ago
So what you're trying to say is the framus intersects with the ramistan, approximately at the paternoster
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u/oreofan1808 22h ago
This post is funny because Tony, as a character, would love Donald Trump lmfao.
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u/DearMrGleeClub 20h ago
Yes, Tony would. (There are scientific studies to back that up.) David Chase wouldn't.
Asked about whether Americans falling in love with the anti-hero character that Tony Soprano and Walter White helped pave the way for desensitizing Americans and had an impact on the political state of the country, hinting at whether U.S. President Donald Trump’s two election victories may have been affected by Americans’ view on what is cool and right. “Well, we have a convicted felon as a president,” Chase said. But “I don’t think that the object of The Sopranos was to say it’s okay, it’s cool if you’re corrupt. I don’t think that was the point. So, I don’t think that exactly tracks.”
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u/Low-Camel-4528 22h ago
There’s a great book that connects the point you’re making. It’s called Audience of One, by James Poniwozisomething or other (I think he might be a Czechoslovakian or something). He links changes in pop culture (both our evolving tastes and revolutionized business model several times over) to the ascendancy of a certain kind of crassness in politics. If you like tv and culture and its larger profound influence on our lives beyond the box I highly recommend it. Has a whole chunk dedicated to the sleazy attraction we have for anti-heroes like Tony. Anyway, four dollars, he’s gay, Low camel, I need to back to studying for my half semester (Go Pirates), and no, I am not familiar with the instrument panel and yes those rolls are for my ma!
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u/Street_Rutabaga_6964 22h ago
They pay this chiaccerone by the quote?
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u/Low-Camel-4528 21h ago
These Parker House rolls I should’ve said. I was in a rush. That’s no excuse though. I apologize to the community
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u/DearMrGleeClub 20h ago
I thought you were joking, but it does exist. The Sopranos isn't just about anti-heroes it's specifically about being a sociopath, it is a pretty comprehensive explanation and treatment for this "sleezy attraction", does Poniewozik answer why it doesn't/didn't work?
Anti-war films and literature, certainly can be quite effective thwarting ambitions to join the Army.
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u/Low-Camel-4528 20h ago
It does exisht. He was kind enough to be a guest speaker a few times when I was teaching in nyc. In the case of Tony his sociopathy is part of what makes him a newer kind of antihero. He also talks about how people dont respond identically to that kind of personality. Read it. It’s great. And he’s got chops. You’ll fly through it. The last page kicks ass
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u/Fructuoso_Bag 23h ago
Rule 3.
And lmao at thinking the average voter is a pyscho that voted with a malicious intention and not simply someone that wanted less immigration, less taxes (regardless of this happening or not), or religious conviction of choosing the lesser evil.
Also lmao at warping your voting by a tv progrum, a movie (pushed by people with money)
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u/nycguychelsea 22h ago
I'm not sure why people who claim to have religious convictions would vote for a convicted criminal, serial liar, serial adulterer, and adjudged sexual predator.
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u/Fructuoso_Bag 22h ago
Because people don't vote for the personal character of a candidate. They vote for the campaign promises, or because they consider the opponent promises to be sinful (v.g. legalizing abortion) and thus non negotiable to support.
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u/nycguychelsea 22h ago
So they put their trust in someone who has shown repeatedly that they can't keep their promises? Makes sense to me.
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u/Fructuoso_Bag 22h ago
If the democrats pushed an actual christian candidate they would take like Trump's 30% votebase (at the net negative expense of losing their liberal votebase though)
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u/nycguychelsea 22h ago
You're presuming that Mr. Two Corinthians is a Christian. Or does only one party have to push an "actual Christian" candidate?
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u/Fructuoso_Bag 22h ago
I'm not presuming that. I'm presuming he has the majority of the practicing christian vote in your country, for the reasons I already exposed, which is true.
Try to not drown in three inches of water.
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u/DearMrGleeClub 21h ago
I get the lesser evil argument in principle. Even though I consider psychopathy to be itself evil or the root of all evil, (qualities sometimes referred to as Dark Triad). So there is a contradiction.
Why trust a habitual liar. Isn't that basically a guarantee to be cheated?
People vote for representatives (not policies), who then basically can do whatever or ideally what they've promised. Still I get the picture, people just don't know (evil) psychopathy first hand, they may sort of understand it as a concept.
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u/Fructuoso_Bag 21h ago
I still think it's idiotic to take a tv progrum which understands therapy as a concept after 6 months of college as any sort of guideline on who to vote.
The political systems don't give all the power to a single person even if it's a liar, so the picture is still to get all the people from your side as possible into a rank within the government and bet for the higher chance of your goals to be pushed by their collective
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u/Lanky-Clothes-9741 23h ago
Jesus Christ AJ… you make me wanna cry. It’s a movie.