Subject:
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Re: Is Bionicle violence?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Sun, 18 Feb 2001 21:26:05 GMT
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Viewed:
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379 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Bill wrote:
> James started to mention violent video games and such. Despite the current
> controversy over this issue in the media, the military figured it out years
> ago. After WWII they found that less than 25% of rifleman fired their
> weapons in combat. Soldiers who trained by firing at circular targets could
> not bring themselves to site and fire upon other human beings. They began
> training them by firing at human shaped targets (E-type silhouettes). The
> firing rates jumped to 55% in the Korean War and to 90% in Viet Nam. When
> soldiers were accustomed to aiming and firing at a human shaped target they
> were more likely to kill in combat. Ironically, removing the moral
> compunction in combat actually increased it's effects after the fact.
Wow!
> Violence in video games and movies *can*, most certainly, have profound
> effect on certain personality types. The problem then becomes identifying
> these types.
That's right, Bill! Hey, how about this? Yesterday, I spent the afternoon
filling in for the supervisor at the local teen center. This was my first
time actually doing a day there (I usually work with the elementary kids).
Anyway, the staff there had their routine so I just kind of observed.
Evidently, from 1 to 6 p.m., they blasted gangsta rap music and the teens
(ALL BOYS) played video games. The music's (if that's what it could be
called) subject matter was singularly filled with rage and self-indulgence,
boasting about "bad-assness," capping off other punks, pimpin' in Caddie,
hittin' the cootchie, gang banging the ho's (including your mama), slinging
dope, making cash and so on. Because this was on the radio, the cursing had
to be omitted so there were often long pauses without lyrics (word to yo
mutha). However, it didn't matter because the teens knew those lyrics anyway
and happily supplied some stuff that would make a sailor blush. Meantime,
they were capping each other off playing "007 World Is Not Enough" and
kicking the crap out of each other on "WWF Wrestle-Mania." Wow, what I great
way for a teen to spend 5 hours!
Now, should we say "Oh, that's just the music they like" and "Oh, that's the
just the games the like?" Well, who makes the music and games-- kids or
adults? Who targets them with this crap? It's clear to me that violence is a
shamefully overused marketing tool in our country.
> I went to see "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" yesterday(should've been
> called "Flying Tiger, Hidden Cables").
Heh heh, good one!
> The skill of the combatants in this
> movie is what made it compelling. Oddly enough, most of the fight scenes
> were between two women, which kinda throws a monkey-wrench into this line of
> argument.
Not really. As I said it's about marketing. Violence and chicks, now what
guy can resist that? There are more TV shows and movies with women as the
butt-kickers (mostly of the slinky, busty, thong-wearing variety). On the
flipside, American women audiences are a virtually untapped market in terms
of violent shows. They have increased in numbers in attending martial arts
classes, police departments and the military. So, the door is open and
there's a lot of money to be made.
> I believe it is much deeper than mere biology or psychology. I think the
> adolescent attraction to the violent, weapon wielding antagonist has more to
> do with an attitude of, "Look at him, he breaks all the rules and doesn't
> care. Why can't I be like that?" Or, "Well, if nobody cares about me then I
> don't care about anyone else." Self-centered rebellion - more emotional than
> biological or psychological.
Yeah, it is a deeper condition but I have no doubt that it begins with our
biology. However, you are right in the sense that we [humans] are more
sophisticated now and have more complex rules to live by that we must learn.
I also think that media violence has a positive value (sounds weird) because
it serve a cathartic purpose. Instead of hauling off on someone, we can
watch Bugs Bunny do it to Elmer Fudd, and get nearly the same pleasure.
Dan
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: Is Bionicle violence?
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| (...) I think it also has much to do with the incredibly fragile male ego. The "I wanna see if I can beat him" attitude - the desire to be better than everyone else. Obviously greed and covetousness play a role as well. (...) James started to (...) (23 years ago, 17-Feb-01, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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