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| IMDB's home page. Do you notice anything? |
Today I bumped upon IMDB as I came to know that a fourth chapter of Toy Story is in production: a sad commercial move. Anyway, when I loaded the home page, something has flashed before my eyes, something that should be self-evident by my screenshot above.
Hollywood's approach with violence - and guns in a particular way - clashes with many recent crime news and even with recent President Obama's words.
How do you expect that people stop killing each other, even without plausible reasons, if movies and culture promote the use of guns? As long as the coolness of characters remains proportional to the size of their weapons, it is no surprise that we won't do any progress.
However, this probably is not a problem for the lobbyists and I'm pretty sure that weapon producers are rubbing their hands for this kind of brain-shaping.
10 comments:
It must be great being a middle class graduate with aspirations of being the next Zuckerberg or Gates, right? What I'm trying to say is that there are dozens of reasons people commit crimes or even murder one another - none of which involve Hollywood's "glorification of violence." You'll notice that the most violent crimes are committed by those on the lower rungs of the social-economic ladder, and that's not due to them being easily impressionable and swayed by the images they are shown by Hollywood, but rather due to them living lives full of stress. Most criminals grow up in broken homes, but seeing as you're a grad student, I don't see a need to explain all this to you. They don't have many of the opportunities that people like you have, and had been trapped in a unsavoury life. I'm suddenly reminded of the adage: "when in Rome, do as the Romans." They were born into a shady part of the world. They weren't able to transcend their habitat - they had to survive, evolve. I guess that's one of the flaws of subjective perception.
Anyway, this is getting long, so I'll end off with saying that We're not sheep, we all have ideas and thoughts and more importantly free will.
How do you explain crime in areas free from the inveiglement of Hollywood?
You are working under the assumption, that no one else but you has freewill - which is really a common psychological flaw in recent college graduates, who haven't experienced the real world.
I don't think that "The MAN with no life" really got what this post is saying. Actually, I believe he doesn't even got somewhat near to the point.
Please, read again the post, re-consider your understanding about it and please avoid doing cheap psychology lessons to someone you don't even know.
Well, I'm not sure either about what OP really meant, but I'm pretty sure that you didn't get the point.
You're talking about criminality in general, and your point may even be correct or understandable in general, but the OP is not talking about criminality in general, but about a system which include weapons so massively in it's culture. Which is different by far.
What I was trying to say by referencing the fact that crime is universal and beyond the reaches of Hollywood, was to prove that crime cannot solely be blamed on Hollywood. How is that misunderstanding the OP's point?
OP: Hollywood makes guns look cool. People want to be cool. Therefore they massacre innocent people in a theatre.
Me: Hollywood does not determine what people think and do - we have free will. Crimes are committed for a myriad of reasons - none of that is due to "programming."
And besides, how can you say I didn't understand what the OP said, when you confessed to the OP's thoughts going over your head?
I explictly mentioned "culture" in my post exactly to expand the argument beyond the mere Hollywood facet, which is simply the most evident reflection of the underlying problem.
I also want to point out that I never mentioned situations like the Batman premiere (which is absolutely hilarious, to me); in that specific case, the problem is United State's demential weapon legislation.
What you completely missed in your argumentation is that I'm from Europe and therefore I'm not prone to this guns-oriented way of thinking.
Of course, we have gun-equipped criminals - Italy is the cradle of Mafia, isn't it? - but we don't proceed to the exaltation of the most heavily armed. It is EXACTLY the contrary.
The fact that practically any american movie features armed people should disturb you, for many reasons. The fact that heavily armed men, women, and kids are placed on posters to the aim of "capturing" audience, should sound as a problem.
And don't get me wrong: I love many american movies, even those featuring armed characters. For instance, "the silence of the lambs" (which is present in my screenshot), where a young Jodie Foster subtracts "Buffalo Bill" from his trial by shooting him in the chest.
Btw, I'm very interested in your socio-political analysis about the fact that just stressed, lower rungs people commit violent crimes. Do you have any statistics?
p.s.: I want to be a scientist, not a CEO. Zuckerberg and Gates represent absolutely nothing in the field! ;)
What exactly is your point? That American culture encourages gun violence/use? Because if it is that then it's ridiculous, because people make their own decisions and are able to think for themselves. Just because there is a fast food restaurant on every corner in America, doesn't mean they all eat fast food all the time - that's an analogy, dear God don't start arguing about fast food eating habits of Americans.
Crimes are committed across the world, what role does Hollywood or culture play in those situations? Think Ghadafi - he acted on his personal philosophy, not because he was brainwashed into doing anything. Culture may mold you, but what you do is solely based on the choices you decide to make - no one else can be blamed for the way in which you decide to handle a situation.
And you misread what I said, I said stressed people commit violent crimes - I believe that includes those crimes that are committed with guns. You never see a billionaire CEO who moonlights as a serial killer, now do you? And if you in any way think I might be wrong on that fact, you can do your own research - I'm sure you know your way around the library.
It is interesting, because according to statistics (and not your opinions, which are questionable by definition) the diet of 1/3 of Americans is based on junk food and such.
http://www.naturalnews.com/001109.html
So what? Is it me, who reads the larger picture, or is it you that understimate the impact on your culture and lifestyle?
Did I not explicitly state that it was an analogy, if only a very ribald one at that? Again it comes down to choices, but even that what's the point? That wasn't the point of my argument.
And I'm not American.
I sill believe you miss the point.
Anyway, it's well known how models influence people's behaviour. If the "good guy" smokes, and cigarettes are available, it's more probable that people will start smoking.
If the "good guy" drinks, and alcohol is available, it's more probable that people will start drinking.
If parents does something, children will try to imitate them. Imitation is a fundamental behaviour in our lives. Ask to some ethology about it if you're not convinced.
The point is not the choice: of course people are free to chose and, of course, if people are in bad situations chances are they will use violence.
This is *another* problem.
The problem stated in this post is that, if people can bring weapons in their pockets and they are also used to the usage of such weapons, especially if they are used to see "good guys" using them - the step is short - they will use it.
Why people chose not to use weapons? Why people chose to use weapons?
Point is, if you don't tell people that having weapons is a bad thing, they will not think about it.
If you don't tell people smoking is a bad thing, they will smoke.
If you don't tell people eating shit is a bad thing, they will eat shit.
And you know why people eat shit? Because shit-sellers can advertise how good is shit eating.
Oh, and by the way, people CAN think by themselves, but they don't usually do it every time. That's why imitation is very relevant and so effective in marketing.
You're confusing people with children. Adults don't necessarily imitate behaviour they see others doing, they do what they feel is right or appropriate. And for you to assume people imitate everything they see, including everything on TV, just shows how grossly ignorant and deluded you are.
Fuck this argument, you guys are obviously retarded, and never come into contact with people if you even think any of this is true.
Peace out.
"And for you to assume people imitate everything they see, including everything on TV, just shows how grossly ignorant and deluded you are"
Ok. It's obvious you can't even read properly. Please, re-read. Again.
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