Do violent movies cause violence?

You only have half a brain Foxy Loxy, no way

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Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
Buddha

Fox, i agree, this is far from boring here! tis even one of the threads where people write real intelligent stuff... nonono, i'm NOT saying they don't in other threads!! don't hit me, nooooooooooooooooo!

7thson, of course you wouldn't, and i wouldn't have taken yrs either, but open yr eyes and definitely forget the dumb-making political correctness prevalent in the US like nowhere else i've been (ok, ooh, i'm stereotyping! how awful and cruel of me!!) and see the world as it really is. NOBODY capable of comparing and analyzing would say Japan is just as dangerous as the US! and it's not mine, my luck, that artificial way of viewing the world as: everything pink and happy and the happiest world, brrrrr, schmaltz! uh!
without analysis, percentages, calculation of average per country/city/race (yes, i do dare use that word!)/gender etc..., what you call stereotyping, how would one understand the differences between all those categories???????... and yes, they do exist, the differences!
just to be nice *equally* to *anybody*, i'd have to deny those differences? say that Japan is not less dangerous than the US, in average? say that it's not true that most people shot (like in Chitown, read the articles about crime!) are members of gangs? and black? even if it IS TRUE?
well, not for me, i'd rather be honest!
racialism, sexism etc (all ism-words) - consist in denying those differences. or seeing them as *inherent* to a certain group, while ignoring the social factors etc... involved in the analysis of percentages and events and study results.
which I don't do.
but screw political correctness, once for all!
can you imagine (does yr fantasy reach that point?) the difference between vegetables and fruit becomes politically incorrect - how long before you're afraid to call an orange a fruit?

NOW YOU CAN SHOOT ME!

this said, people need that political correctness cuz they keep thinking, like Xtianity taught them too, unfortunately, in categories: bad and good. worse and better, inferior and superior.
well, news, i don't!
free yrselves! *****!
to me, there only exist differences. meaning that i didn't mean Japanese (and their society) are better, superior, good... but only, that they're different. in what way? it would be loooong to explain, but let's say in their country's history, religionS, social uniformity... meaning, if a Japanese doesn't steal my camera, it's not because he's a better person, but because he cares more (than us Europeans/Americans) about what other people think and what kind of image he'd give of Japan if he stole a tourist... a very important aspect of Japanese culture.
no categorizing between better and worse here, i'm lucky, i'm*not* a Xtian and don't make that kinda mistake.

HERE YOU CAN SHOOT ME AGAIN!!

now, this aspect of Japanese culture i'm mentioning may in part explain the large distance between virtual and actual violence in Japan, Korea etc... taking us back to this thread, doesn't it?

Fox, happy to know you lived in Japan too.
did we meet?
a fact about Germany:
(must i precise here, although it seems so dumb and useless and obvious, an *objective* fact??? my gosh!)
84% of the crimes (robbery/murders) in Germany are committed by foreigners.
this is a NEUTRAL; OBJECTIVE... statement.
racialism is double: racists may use this data against immigration etc...
another kind, far more insidious form of racism may (and actually does - example of the taboo in the US about Israel's murders! ) prohibit my mentioning such a fact!
censorship.
fear of the truth...
call it what you want!

AND SHOOT ME AGAIN!

same thing about "lower class" and taboo expressions!
facts are facts, like 'em or NOT!

so what, P.C. should prevail?

now, even facts, and especially the analysis of the whys and wherefores of these, are open to discussion. but not in the name of "one is not supposed to SAY so... or better said, *think* so.

if you want democracy, kill political correctness first, there's no alternative.

SORRY FOLKS, I'M NOT DEAD. YET.

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We're a generation of men raised by women. I'm wondering if another woman is really the answer we need.

that was colourful CG, sorry i couldnt manage reading it all yet. but oohh the colours, just scrolling it is pretty...now to reading it

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I got to end and thought exactely the same thing. "Ooooh, Chicago Frog has been arty and creative! Better go back and read what he said!"

ok

Nebbit goes postal!!!!!!

90% of the movies I watch are rated R for violence. I'm not a crazy mofo. Yes I have a major anger problem but that's not related to the movies I watch. I love those movies and anyone who becomes a serial killer just because Foxy Brown shoots a drug dealer is insane anyway in my opinion.

Since you partly asked the question in order to guage the effect that violent movies have had on those who have watched them, I'll add a few more points. I most definitely have seen violent movies, even at an early age. Although I don't think it's especially healthy for a young child to see such violence, I have seen it, and I don't think that I've been emotionally scarred for life because of it. It's very difficult to discern how I may have been effected because I don't know how I would have turned out had I not had the exposure. I saw R rated movies from the age of probably 9 or 10, even though I probably wasn't supposed to. I didn't watch a huge amount of them, but I had seen some here and there. I remember watching HBO in anticipation for the premiere of Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven in 1993 or 1994, and by then I was only 10 or 11. I was so excited to see it that I watched it when I was supposed to be asleep and had the volume on really low so that nobody would realize that I was up past my bed time watching an R rated movie. I don't consider myself an especially violent person, and even if I was, I'm not too sure that I could have blamed that on movies. It was never my aim to blame violence on movies or even to say that violence in films definitively and singulary causes violence in society. Correlation, as most know, does not necessarily equal causation, but I do believe that it does have an influence. Depending on how young the child is and what kind of violent exposure the child has, the child may not be able to distinguish the difference between reality and imagined events in a film. This is a main argument as to why it may not be beneficial to discipline your child by spanking them because although you may believe you are teaching the child to obey by using reinforcement techniques, the child, much like a dog, may not connect the behavior that they did with the punishment. This may lead the child to learn that violence as a solution is okay and the child may become confused as to what it is that is going on. This supposed solution, according to the theory, actually reinforces the very violent behavior that is often being punished. I'm not saying that I necessarily wholeheartedly endorse this view, but it is interesting, and I do see a correlation between it and exposure to violence on TV.

I was discussing movies at a dinner party last night, a friend asked me didn't violent movies make me afraid, NO WAY, it is real life where the true violence happens, the other one is a movie, no one really gets killed there, its make believe

I've never bought into the argument that watching violent movies and playing violent video games causes violence in the real life. I've grown up reading Stephen King, watching movies like Goodfellas, Die-Hard, etc, and playing games like Duke Nukem and am still a kind and loving person.

Here's a thought... could the violence perpetrated by teens today be caused by not having an outlet to express themselves or a need for attention? Parents today, for a variety of reason, are much less involved in the lives of their children than... this could and should have some serious ramifications. Thoughts/comments?

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It's hard to say. Only reason is because most "normal" people who watch movies would probably say no, violence in movies does not cause outside violence. But, the people who can justify violence outside of movies because they saw something violent in a movie are not right in the head. Teens on the other hand I guess are a different story because they are influenced by all kinds of factors. Then it becomes a touchy issue. It's all in the upbringing.

I’ve noticed during the last couple of years that many American commercials, mainly the comedic ones, have resorted to pain and humiliation to get laughs. To me these aren’t all that funny, but more and more of them are made in this fashion.

Obviously, there is massive desensitization towards violence going on in our society, especially with today’s youths. But it is the adults who are making the products that actually cause this phenomenon, and then they turn around, scratching their heads, muttering, “I just don’t understand”.

I don’t understand either. When the makers of so-called “funny” commercials resort to personal tragedy to make a joke, doesn’t that just add to the problem?

Tonight, I saw a new commercial for an insurance company. The “joke” is that it is draft day for the NFL. Dallas picks a popular running back as their number one draft choice. When the superstar gets up to head down the stairs where the podium is, he slips and falls. It shows him falling end over end down the many steps, with a close-up of him hitting his back hard, implying that he broke it, and then ends with him on his back on the bottom landing unable to move, with the punch-line being, more or less, “Don’t get caught without insurance.”

It’s not funny at all, but they’re telling us it’s supposed to be. Murder is cool if it’s slick enough. Pain is funny. Tragedy is hilarious.

The local news always starts off with it’s “15 Minutes of Death”. Sensationalistic, voyeuristic, sick entertainment is all it is now. “Baby drowned by mother…father kills wife and 3 kids…child killed crossing street…skier found dead…man beats dog to death.” Can you guys tell me when any of that actually became news? Why is it that a child run over crossing the street has any effect on my life, or the lives of anyone other than those directly involved?

Many movies have gratuitous violence just for the hell of it. As I’ve gotten older, certain things effect me differently than before. I hate movies that have a hero being hunted who narrowly escapes death, but leaves a body count of innocent victims behind him. “Whoa…these guys are chasing me with guns and have shown that they will not let anyone get in their way. What should I do? I know! I’ll go into the mall!” I watch as he escapes and people are getting blown all to hell behind him, and I think to myself, “ each one of these people that die have stories themselves. There are people at home who love them and will be traumatized by their deaths. Children will become orphans, parents will bury children, love will end.” Yet in the movie, it is just a moment to show some more blood, and no after effect will ever be mentioned by this random killing. When the villain, or villains, eventually get theirs, it will be said that they deserved it for what they did to the hero, not for all the random death they caused.

Doesn’t this also add to the problem?

Doesn’t music nowadays also contribute toward this trend?

It’s all a vicious cycle that can be debated ad nausea, but unless society as a whole decides that they have had enough of it all, nothing will change. But I don’t see that happening…ever. The media and corporations marketing this to all of us is too powerful, and society is much to segregated whether it be by race, religion, or age, to ever be able to put up a united front strong enough to hurt the multi-billion dollar corporations who control the media.

I guess all that’s left is to laugh at the joke about the young superstar who breaks his back before his career gets started. Hardy-phawkin-har.

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Music nowadays is crap. Whatever happened to bands like The Beatles, Pink FLoyd, The Eagles... days when music got the singers heart poured in it, when writers wrote lyrics that mattered and had an effect on you. What happened? Now all music is generalized by bands who do it for cash and popularity while making songs about how much their life sucks. Like that new song by Simple Plan, "Welcome to my life" the singer talks about how hard it's always been for him and all the pain he's gone through and that's what his life is all about. The way I see it is you live in a big house which costs no less than a million bucks, you have a career in the music industry which even if there's a chance in failing will still and already have provided you with enough money you don't deserve for the rest of your life. This is all too sad. I'm going to bed. G'night.

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"All I have in this world is my balls and my word, and I don't break them for no one."

Oh Lordylord I have missed you. ... ummmmm errrrrrr what was I going to say, oh yeah, I agree, unfortunately we don't want to know what happens to those left behind, it isn't exciting, who wants to see people working through pain and suffering, it is only about the feelings of the hero only his count, they must be satisfied no matter the cost.

I don't want to wade into this one with my size 10s but just want to add something -

When I was 9, my friend and me wrote off our neighbours' VW Beetle after jumping from a wall on to it's roof, copying the opening credits to Starsky and Hutch.

I soon learned the error of my ways and now the only things I will jump on are beds, sofas and the occasional willing partner...

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"Critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how the Tatty 100 is done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves." - Brendan Behan

My personal belief:

People can and are influenced by anything and everything around them, but because the differences between us are both near and far, some things will effect some of us more than they would others while the rest of us wouldn't even notice a thing, but one thing that does connect us all together is our free will.

For the majority of the population, media does not play a strong part in our behavior. For the younger generations . . . children do tend to copy what's on television, but in the end, it's all about what's being taught and what's being ignored. What children do is mostly reflective of what's going on in their own homes, about what their parents are and aren't teaching them.

I'm not about to blame McDonald's for making people fat.

Voilnet movies, games, music, etc etc etc. i dont think any of these factors are the real problem. Just blaming it on one movie doesnt make sense. For example when A clockwork orange was released in britian a few guys went out and commited voilence while singing "Singin In The Rain" but its not just the movie. They probably had a history of domestic voilence, or were influenced by peers. The movie was probably just the spark, or the idea that made them bash up old ladies. I think that it is your friends and family that affect your mental state, NOT the movies. because unless you are a COMPLETE nutter, everyone knows that Gore and voilence doesnt solve anything.

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There's a lot of bull**** views being bandied about in this thread. The problem isn't violent movies, videogames or even cartoons like the media sometimes suggest. The problem is society/culture. This is a fact. Compare the USA to other countries who have access to the same movies and you will find that there isn't nearly the same level of violence. The US has a blame culture too, in what other country would a group of people be able to sue the tobacco industry for smoking or suing fast food restaurants because they eat it everyday and hey guess what their fat. Somebody should do us all a favor and sue the mass media and politicians for the bull**** and lies they portray. They're commiting the real crimes here.

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"You smell that? Do you smell that?... Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for twelve hours. When it was all over I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one stinkin' dink body. The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like... victory. Someday this war's gonna end..."

"It’s not funny at all, but they’re telling us it’s supposed to be. Murder is cool if it’s slick enough. Pain is funny. Tragedy is hilarious."- LordSlaytan

I would def have to agree with what you said here but what ur talking about sounds more like drak comedy than n e thing else. Wouldnt u say so, I mean tkae ur quote from above and then compare it to fight club or one of the few dark comedy movies out there..... what made that movie soo funny. I mean come on the whole idea that you could only become pure again if you have reached bottom of the pit...... but the way it was done made it funny, even when you saw that albino kid get his skull crushed into the cement floor and his eye socket crushed from every blow that Edward Norton threw at him, it was paintfull to watch but you understood why it was done in the movie. I was violent but still that movie didnt make me want to go out and become tyler durden, it didnt make me and a bunch of my friend go out and bea tthe crap out of each other just for moral content.

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This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time!

what would be life without violence of any kind?
a boring paradise?