Glorification of violence?
By: Will Sieverdes
Issue date: 4/14/06 Section: timeout
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I find it curious that in American culture, violence is overwhelmingly prevalent in our lives, from entertainment media to the news, but sex and nudity is taboo. Watch any movie, TV show, or news channel, and there will be some form of violence. But sex and nudity? Rare, if even there. Why is it that our country is so obsessed with gore and death, but shies away from a natural part of life?
Take "CSI" for example. It's one of the top shows and is adored by millions. However, "CSI" glorifies violence. The show always has a spruced-up visualization of a death, usually with somebody explaining the death in a detached, scientific manner. It is often extremely violent, and not something that would be shown in a PG-13 movie. Yet, this show is on prime time.
Speaking of PG-13 movies, it has become the trend in recent years for Hollywood to add violence or swearing to a PG movie to amp it up to a PG-13, or take nudity or violence out of an R movie to dumb it down to a PG-13. That is why in recent years most movies (especially horror films) are PG-13, and this also would indicate why PG-13 movies are more violent than they used to be.
Why are PG-13 movies treated this way? Maximization of profits. Most parents will not let their teenagers see an R-rated movie, even if they could get in. Why? Sex. Parents don't want their teenagers seeing sex on the big screen because they're afraid their children will emulate it in real life, and then you'll have teen pregnancy to deal with. But is letting your children see people get torn to pieces any better? Aren't these parents afraid of their children emulating violence?
Last year, a videogame series known for its extremely violent nature came under attack. The PC version of "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" was modded by some hackers and a hidden sex minigame was found. Now, keep in mind...