[ExI] Elusive word...

[PJ Manney]

On Fri, Dec 12, 2008 at 12:17 AM, Damien Broderick <thespike at satx.rr.com> wrote:
> At 08:23 AM 12/12/2008 +0100, Serafino pointed to
>
>>
>> <http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/05/12/080512fa_fact_gladwell?printable=true>
>
> A typically fascinating Gladwellian mishmash of ideas about ideas. His
> synthesist smarties were beaten to it by Fred Pohl's story "In the Problem
> Pit" (1973) and my Pohl-derivative Grope Pit, in THE DREAMING [DRAGONS]
> (1980), thereby proving the point Gladders is making...

In the entertainment world, it not only happens ALL the time, once
someone pitches a story to anyone else, we refer to it being "in the
ether", ready for anyone else to grab and use.  What's more, we assume
it will happen.  The rush to production is whipped by the threat of
"someone will beat us to it".  Writers/producers/etc. here accept the
collective unconsciousness, at least pertaining to stories, regardless
of whether the person has even heard of the concept.  Fuggettabout
actually reading Jung...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_unconscious

Of course, most synchronicity has no mystery involved.  A clutch of
volcano movies came out at the same time (and dozens more were in
development) because of an article on vulcanologists in the NYT
Magazine.  I know, because I pitched one to my company way back
when...  :)  Same thing with meteor movies, submarine/undersea movies,
Capote movies, etc.  The ideas that inspire entertainers are out there
to be grabbed, like any other idea in any other arena.  Creation is
all about synthesis.

PJ