--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She prefers the more dramatic shows where…" description: "\"“She prefers the more dramatic shows where everyone's getting kidnapped or raped or shut up in a dark hole, and you aren't supposed to laugh at it. You..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b49/margaret-atwood-40_comedy_she-prefers-the-more-dramatic-shows-wher_2304385.jpg" --- # She prefers the more dramatic shows where everyone's… ![“She prefers the more dramatic shows where everyone's getting kidnapped or raped or shut up in a dark hole, and you aren't supposed to laugh at it. You're supposed to be upset, the way you'd be if it was happening to you. Being upset is a warmer, close-up feeling, not a chilly distant feeling like…” quote by Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b49/margaret-atwood-40_comedy_she-prefers-the-more-dramatic-shows-wher_2304385.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b49/margaret-atwood-40_comedy_she-prefers-the-more-dramatic-shows-wher_2304385.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b49/margaret-atwood-40_comedy_she-prefers-the-more-dramatic-shows-wher_2304385.jpg) > ““She prefers the more dramatic shows where everyone's getting kidnapped or raped or shut up in a dark hole, and you aren't supposed to laugh at it. You're supposed to be upset, the way you'd be if it was happening to you. Being upset is a warmer, close-up feeling, not a chilly distant feeling like laughing at people.”” [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques how media often forces audiences into uncomfortable empathy, demanding emotional involvement rather than detached amusement. **In simple terms:** Media can demand intense emotional reactions instead of casual humor. Key Takeaway Recognize when media manipulates emotions for impact. Themes media criticism empathy audience manipulation ethical storytelling Mood thoughtful critical analytical Type critical analytical philosophical When to use this quote - film analysis - social commentary - personal reflection - academic discussion - media literacy Key Concepts psychology of empathy media ethics emotional labor Questions to Reflect On - How does forced empathy affect your perception of a story? - When is emotional discomfort justified? A Different Perspective Not all viewers respond the same; some may find catharsis in humor. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laugh/) [Laugh Supposed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laugh-supposed-836064/) [Supposed Upset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supposed-upset-5251613/) [Upset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upset/) [Upset Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upset-way-1515104/) ## Related quotes > [The whole thing about working in front of the camera is to make people laugh when they're not supposed to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-galifianakis/the-whole-thing-about-working-in-front-of-the-camera-is-to-make/) [Zach Galifianakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-galifianakis/) > [It's hard when I get to the end of the movie and am held hostage and am supposed to be very upset and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brie-larson/it-s-hard-when-i-get-to-the-end-of-the-movie-and-am-held-hostage-and/) [Brie Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brie-larson/) > [I'm a comedian, and I definitely see the humor in a lot of things. 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How dare he toy with her feelings in such an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-lynn-perry/you-are-so-enchanting-when-you-re-upset-enchanting-how-dare-he-laugh/) [Amber Lynn Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-lynn-perry/) > ['Johnny' was a coping mechanism who could take those things which could have ordinarily destroyed me, by tweaking my past and throwing it back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-vegas/johnny-was-a-coping-mechanism-who-could-take-those-things-which-could/) [Johnny Vegas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-vegas/) > [“Tread softly Breathe peacefully Laugh hysterically”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandel/tread-softly-breathe-peacefully-laugh-hysterically/) [Nelson Mandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandel/) > [I really enjoy making people laugh; I've discovered that's a great technique. 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That's why I have to give all that I can, and at least produce something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhao-wei/i-wouldn-t-want-people-to-laugh-at-me-that-s-why-i-have-to-give-all/) [Zhao Wei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhao-wei/) > [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) ## More by Margaret Atwood > [“I'm fine," said Pilar, "for the moment. And the moment is the only time we can be fine in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-m-fine-said-pilar-for-the-moment-and-the-moment-is-the-only-time-we/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [And yet it disturbs me to learn I have hurt someone unintentionally. I want all my hurts to be intentional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/and-yet-it-disturbs-me-to-learn-i-have-hurt-someone-unintentionally-i/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Mary: Some call this "Eve's curse," but I think that is stupid because the real curse of Eve was having to put up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/mary-some-call-this-eve-s-curse-but-i-think-that-is-stupid-because/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“The birds were singing around me, but I reflected that the very birds were strangers to me, for I did not even know their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-birds-were-singing-around-me-but-i-reflected-that-the-very-birds/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Strange how we decorate pain. These ribbons, for instance, and the small hard teardrops of blood. Who are they for? 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I am forgetting too much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/it-s-my-fault-i-am-forgetting-too-much/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [All fiction is about people, unless it's about rabbits pretending to be people. It's all essentially characters in action, which means characters moving through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/all-fiction-is-about-people-unless-it-s-about-rabbits-pretending-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Simon walks back to the house alone. The night is clear and warm, with a moon, almost full, enclosed in a nimbus of mist;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/simon-walks-back-to-the-house-alone-the-night-is-clear-and-warm-with/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“There is indeed something delightful about being able to combine obedience and disobedience in the same act.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/there-is-indeed-something-delightful-about-being-able-to-combine/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Every time the women appear, Snowman is astonished all over again. They're every known colour from the deepest black to whitest white, they're various…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/every-time-the-women-appear-snowman-is-astonished-all-over-again-they/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Once you publish a book, it is out of your control. You cannot dictate how people read it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/once-you-publish-a-book-it-is-out-of-your-control-you-cannot-dictate/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“The more difficult it was to love the particular man beside us, the more we believed in Love, abstract and total. We were waiting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-more-difficult-it-was-to-love-the-particular-man-beside-us-the/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“She knows she's deceiving herself about that, but she prefers to deceive herself. She desperately needs to believe such pure joy is still possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/she-knows-she-s-deceiving-herself-about-that-but-she-prefers-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) [Explore all 2,072 Margaret Atwood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## More Comedy quotes > ['Mad TV' is one of my most favorite shows of all time and is a huge part of my obsession with sketch comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/mad-tv-is-one-of-my-most-favorite-shows-of-all-time-and-is-a-huge/) [Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/) > [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I wouldn't want people to laugh at me. 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