"Youths Completely Misunderstand Fight Club"

"

In a frightening trend among male youths in their late teens and early twenties, the 1999 film 'Fight Club' is being viewed regularly, quoted constantly and totally misunderstood. It is suspected that due to the film's simplification of complex moral and philosophical issues, coupled with witty, quotable dialogue, 'Fight Club' has gained exactly the kind of mindless following it actually warns against.

Fight Club, based on the novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk is a humourous take on late-modernity's obsession with self-improvement and quick fix answers. In it, a man becomes addicted to Ikea catalogues, then support groups, then finally a club where men beat each other up.

Experts say the film, starring Brad Pitt, has been completely misinterpreted by its own fans. "While [Fight Club] does discuss nihilistic philosophies and antiestablishmentarianism, the actual viewpoint of the film is that such ideas, while attractive, are destructive and stupid" said film theorist and philosopher Dale Cunningham.
"It really is fairly ironic that the anti-hero Tyler Durden has become a rolemodel for certain misguided young men, when he in fact can be seen to represent just another prison the 'Jack' or narrator character has built for himself."

Added the 32 year old: "It makes me laugh every time I see a blogger profile quoting from the Fight Club movie or book. It seems [the youths] have been seduced by the very nihilism the film attacks."

The added irony, said Edward Norton, who also stars in the film, is that many young kids watching it don't understand that the fight club and project mayhem are just another support group. "They, along with Tyler Durden, represent more ways in which my character is avoiding his true feelings and obligations" said the American actor. "It's supposed to be a warning against the lure of nihilism, which can seem so sexy when associated to somewhat agreeable critques of modern life. But these kids have missed the point and taken everything at face value. Shit, didn't these kids even listen to my audio commentary?"

This is not the only time a film has been taken on face value alone and misconstrued in such a way. The 2001 sci-fi film Donnie Darko has often suffered from the same
kind of misunderstanding and deification by pseudo-intellectual teens.

"