Suspension of disbelief and education

[Mad_Jack]

I think being educated in a specific field makes you much more sensitized towards potentially s.o.d.-breaking elements in films/literature/etc. that fall withing your particular field but, as mentioned, I think it's largely up to the individual, and in particular, their own awareness of just how much or little their education impacts their suspension of disbelief and how willing/able they are to set aside that knowledge in the name of enjoying the thing in question...

 

[Bedrockgames]

I think being educated in a specific field makes you much more sensitized towards potentially s.o.d.-breaking elements in films/literature/etc. that fall withing your particular field but, as mentioned, I think it's largely up to the individual, and in particular, their own awareness of just how much or little their education impacts their suspension of disbelief and how willing/able they are to set aside that knowledge in the name of enjoying the thing in question...

My view is specialty made me a worse viewer in a lot of ways. And it was a process of letting that go when I sit down to enjoy art that veers into it

 

[GreyLord]

It depends. Sometimes you just accept ridiculous ideas so you can play.

For example, if you rhink about it, Bounded accuracy is the most ridiculous idea ever. It's absolutely retarded. The idea that Skill is kept within 20% of being trained or not in something and that determines your success is the stupidest idea ever.

As people have pointed out, the difference between a Surgeon and a Nurse is that the Surgeon will only succeed around 40% more often at complex surgery than the Nurse if they have the same ability scores.

This is why I find Warriors so absurd in 5e as well. A trained sniper is only going to hit 20% more often than your Book worm RPG nerd if they have the same ability score. Give them an extreme shot of a mile, and it's only a 20% chance better for that trained and experienced military sniper than that Bookworm who knows how to work the gun, but doesn't really practice and has not really ever trained.

Not only is that pure fantasy, it's so ridiculously out there that it exceeds belief.

BUT, I play 5e because the idea keeps it simple to run the game.

Is that suspension of belief?

(and now I expect I'll have a whole horde of people trying to defend 5e's version of BA as a "real life" in how it operates. They haven't changed my mind in over 10 years, I don't expect they'll change it now)

 

[Clint_L]

I think being educated in a specific field makes you much more sensitized towards potentially s.o.d.-breaking elements in films/literature/etc. that fall withing your particular field but, as mentioned, I think it's largely up to the individual, and in particular, their own awareness of just how much or little their education impacts their suspension of disbelief and how willing/able they are to set aside that knowledge in the name of enjoying the thing in question...

My spouse and I both worked as climbing instructors in college (my spouse is the climber in the Ocean Spray "Crave the Wave" climbing commercial). We were excited to see the Stallone film Cliffhanger because climbing movie, and the main stunt doubles were two really well known sport climbers. In the opening scene, tragedy ensues when the fastener on a climber's harness just breaks. That doesn't happen. After that, it was impossible for us to buy into the film (other ridiculous features, like a "bolt gun" than instantly attaches bolts to granite like a nail gun into a wood plank, didn't help).

 

[The Sigil]

I would call it “mostly personality” but there are some things that can’t bug you unless you have the education to see what is wrong. I studied physics and generally have a hard time suspending disbelief when the physics are bad (see Legolas running up a crumbling bridge in the Hobbit movies or - more subtly - the doors in Monsters, Inc rotating perfectly about the axis parallel to the top and bottom of the door when they fall - that shape does not rotate that way in free fall - there is also rotation about the longest axis which you can see yourself by dropping a book - the first one I probably would be bothered by due to personality but I would not have known the doors were wrong for it to bother me without education).

 

[MNblockhead]

If FTL travel and space wizards is part of the premise, and knowing this one goes into it anyway, then FTL and space wizards is just fine. But if something goes against the premise, yeah, I'm out very quickly. I would be very unhappy with space wizards suddenly appearing in my kitchen sink drama set in 1970's Australia.

Space wizards in 1970s Australia sounds awesome to be honest.

Space Wizards Down Under!

Paul Hogan could pull off playing a space wizard these days.

 

[MNblockhead]

But because my main field is literature, bad writing takes me out of a story faster than anything else. Characters behaving in ways that don't make sense, just to advance the plot, instantly take me out of the story. Cliches. Expository dialogue. Mary Sue/Gary Stu-type characters. All that stuff is super cringey to me, if it's being done unintentionally.

I'm the same way, but life experience has taught me that most of us have higher expectations of characters acting in ways that make sense in our fiction than is reflected in real life.

There are so many times I've read or heard people complaining about how someone acted in a way that doesn't make sense for their character where I can think of a real life analog. This is exacerbated by fiction set in different eras and cultures being judged with modern eyes from a different culture.

 

[bloodtide]

It's a bit fun to see that most educated people have a set response when they see "their" stuff in content. Almost like they learned it somewhere....

A typical scientist feels personally attacked when some content shows "their science", "their job" and "their life" in some "wrong way". And not only do they get very upset....but they also have the need to tell everyone.

They can't even admit to liking a movie, with out saying something like "well......BUT.....everything in the movie is WRONG!"

But lots of other groups....like cops for example, can like content....and really not even care if it is 100% real to them. They can say they like a movie no problem.....and have no need to add the "well, but" qualifier.

 

[MarkB]

It's a bit fun to see that most educated people have a set response when they see "their" stuff in content. Almost like they learned it somewhere....

A typical scientist feels personally attacked when some content shows "their science", "their job" and "their life" in some "wrong way". And not only do they get very upset....but they also have the need to tell everyone.

They can't even admit to liking a movie, with out saying something like "well......BUT.....everything in the movie is WRONG!"

But lots of other groups....like cops for example, can like content....and really not even care if it is 100% real to them. They can say they like a movie no problem.....and have no need to add the "well, but" qualifier.

Well, that's a ridiculous generalisation, given that there are plenty of non-scientists in this thread alone mentioning things that aren't scientific specialities that can trip up their suspension of disbelief.

I'm pretty sure you'll have no trouble finding examples of law enforcement officers who struggle to watch police procedurals and the like.

 

[MNblockhead]

Well, that's a ridiculous generalisation, given that there are plenty of non-scientists in this thread alone mentioning things that aren't scientific specialities that can trip up their suspension of disbelief.

I'm pretty sure you'll have no trouble finding examples of law enforcement officers who struggle to watch police procedurals and the like.

Yeah, the biggest complainers about unrealistic scenes in movies are guys with experience with guns. I'm kinda one of them, moreso with movies and TV than in games. But it is more that I notice it, but I don't get upset about it. It doesn't ruin anything for me. At least I'm not the guy at the party going all "well actually" over people's (mis)use of "clip".