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Post by Josh on Feb 10, 2007 15:48:26 GMT -8
Considered this topic UNARCHIVED!!!!
Post away, anyone!
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Post by michelle on Mar 9, 2007 13:06:31 GMT -8
"I definitely think there's been a cultural shift occuring and now picking up with extra speed, largely due to the entertainment and news worlds deciding that shocking sex and violence sells.
It's crazy how the news has joined the bandwagon especially-- even respectable news shows. I mean it's important to report the truth, but it's usually done in such an indulgent way that it's really just a pandering for entertainment. " [Josh]
I'm chiming in late, but chiming in nonetheless. I'm not really sure that it is the entertainment industry and news worlds deciding that shocking sex and violence sells. Consumers are the ones that have decided that it sells by partaking in all that the media outlets provide. And if that's what consumers have decided, then the media outlets are going to respond by doing whatever they need to in order to stay at the top. I'm not saying that all forms of media are void of any value, but the reality is that they are in business to make money. If they don't have consumers, they don't have money and they don't have business.
" 'I don't need to see graphic violence or sex to understand that these things exist in the world.' I doubt this is true. If people could truly, fully shelter their children from ANY real contact with the truth about the depravities and evils in this world, instead vaguely assuring them that "there are bad people out there" etc., I suspect kids would grow up without a strong objective sense that these things are real. A child like this would lack the capacity to protect themselves or others from the very real dangers they will sooner-or-later encounter in some form or other." [Hume in response to Marc]
I agree with Hume about there being a need to see some of this stuff to know it happens in the world. Take 'Hotel Rwanda' for example. How many people knew about what was going on over there? I had never heard of it and even if it had, I doubt I would have really grasped the concept of it without the visual aids. And there were scenes in that movie that were horrific, but I think that can be good. In me it evoked a level of compassion that I could not have felt if I had been told through words.
Also, 'Passion of the Christ'. For me, it was a very gory movie (there were times I had to close my eyes), but UNBELIEVABLY moving. Before I saw this movie, I knew that Christ had suffered for me, but I've never thought of His suffering the same way since that movie. Now, when I read about his crucifixion, I see the images from the movie and I have a MUCH deeper appreciation for what He went through for me. It is incredibly humbling to me. It makes my fall to my knees crying.
I guess if we see too much of these kinds of gory images it may cause a sort of numbness in us. But some of this is good to show us that there truly is incredible suffering in the world. We are so blessed to live in a place that we don't have to go through things like genocide. The reality is thought that these things have happened and are happening. I think the time to worry about exposure is when it's overexposure and it no longer triggers something inside us that makes us a little sad.
Perhaps another key is distinguishing real (or inspired by true) stories from fictional stories. Grusome true stories can evoke compassion fromus, while fictional stories desensitize us.
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Post by Josh on Mar 9, 2007 18:09:46 GMT -8
Yeah, it's kind of a chicken-and-egg scenario when it comes to who drives the need for entertainment from sex and violence. I personally think both the consumer and the producer are to blame by both adding fuel to the fire. It's like when two of my students fight at school: I'm constantly asking them who's going to be the bigger person and knock it off.
I'm just more upset with the news than the entertainment industry in some ways because I'm tired of hearing all the details of how some child was ---------- by a ---------------- while ---------------- was watching (if you get my drift). I mean, Justus hears those kind of things just when I'm flipping channels or turning the radio station! How about "so-and-so was recently arrested for sex crimes with a minor"?
I particularly hate that pedophilia has become a national obsession and I'm not convinced that all the exposure will help the fight against it. I think it's just going to eventually desensitize us to it.
But, hey, I'm all for realistic violence in movies (especially historical ones) if the violence isn't the sole point, but just a way to achieve a higher purpose.
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Post by krhagan19 on Aug 22, 2009 21:53:32 GMT -8
As a believer that the world must be sinful for us to be holy. That is, if there are not opportunities to indulge in wickedness, then how are we being holy by not indulging. As a result. I am fill with gratitude that such vulgarity is available to us, and that with holy rightiousness we can choose to avoid it rather than censor the culture we live in.
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Post by Josh on Aug 25, 2009 10:55:31 GMT -8
Perhaps if you had a child this perspective might be a bit more nuanced?
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Post by krhagan19 on Aug 25, 2009 12:31:27 GMT -8
I doubt that very much. I would get my news from the internet and I would get Digital Cable (Hey we all need that now, Comcast is going all digital) I would actually take the time to set the programming fresh hold at VERY KID FRIENDLY, then when I wanted to watch something more adult (not porno, but lets say Deadwood or the Sopranos) I would simply click on the program and enter my pin gaining me onetime access to only the show chosen.
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