Simone L. Fary <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > I too am bothered by the escalation of violence in >popular culture. The other day we say a low budget "comedy" >called "Bound and Gagged", which like the Coen brother's >Fargo, showed scenes of violence, and then comedy. I found >it impossible to giggle at a joke after seeing a rape, >cold blooded slaying etc., but apparently alot of people >don't have this problem. > The movie also contained fairly explicit scenes of >sex. The group I saw it with didn't find any of it erotic, >and some even said the sex scenes were "boring" - more >"mechanical" and "acrobatic" then titilating. It's sad that >we are so exposed to sex and violence that it becomes boring >to us. > However, while it seemed sad that we were becoming >numb to screen violence by being over-exposed to it, I was >used to dismissing its possible consequences. Recently, >however I heard a radio interview with a professor who >specializes in military >history and psychology. He felt that what we are doing to >our children as a culture by exposing them to violence was >the equivalent to what a modern military does in wearaing >down the natural resistance of its recruits to engaging >in killing and other acts of violence. He was really >disturbed by the situation, which made me also wonder >about it with a different perspective. >Simone Fary, who always has to end quickly in order not >to have her computer turned off by her toddler > Not claiming that there isn't such a thing as an escalation of violence, se= x,=20 heresy, immoral behaviour, perversion or whatever we chose to call things t= hat=20 bother us in contemporary cinema, one must be aware that people has *always= *=20 been concerned by this escalation. Nowadays we laugh at what people found=20 bothering as late as 25-30 years ago and find it almost "cute" that Mae Wes= t was=20 considered a great threat to yesteryears moral standards. But, the question= is,=20 how will *our* reactions to the different offending phenomena be viewed 25 = years=20 on? Probably just the same way: "Oh, that's nothing to get upset with". When it comes to "numbing" from screen violence, I can only add that media= =20 violence only works de-sensitizing when it comes to... screen violence. No= =20 research whatsoever has proved an effect of media violence (neither fictito= us=20 nor non- fictitiuos) on the perceptions of real-life violence. And Simone, = since=20 this considers my PhD thesis work, I'd really to know the name of that=20 professor. Do you remember it? Ulf Ulf Dalquist Phone: +46 46 2224266 Dept. of Sociology Fax: +46 46 2224794 Box 114 221 00 Lund SWEDEN E-mail: [log in to unmask] =20 "You hear about 'constitutional rights', 'free speech', and the 'free press= '. Every time I hear these words I say to myself, 'That man is a Red!!...' = You never hear a real American talk like that!" Mayor Frank Hague, Jersey City ---- To signoff SCREEN-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF SCREEN-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]