Sex or Violence

July 19, 2007, 10:00 am; posted by Steve
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Best of Steve, November 2005.

What do you find more objectionable, violent content or sexual content? Why?

Which do you believe is more harmful to society? To children? To adults?

In last week’s Animadversion to his typically brilliant Tuesday Morning Quarterback column, Gregg Easterbrook wrote, “Can it be coincidence that global terrorism is increasing at the very time Hollywood is deluging the world with movies that say it’s fun and glamorous to kill the innocent?”

In the earlier column, Easterbrook pointed out a movie review which described as “genuine fun” a movie that began with “a beautiful woman being murdered by a man she just met,” continued with “dozens of graphic depictions of people being murdered, tortured or decapitated,” and ended with the first man “capturing another beautiful woman and grinning as he prepares to murder her.” This is unfortunately representative of many modern films, which pile one revolting scene of blood and gore upon another until the sight of decapitation or bludgeoning no longer shocks, or even surprises.

Desensitization. The more you are exposed to anything, the better you get at dealing with it. At pushing it aside, at classifying it in your mind, at immunizing yourself to its true nature and effects. The more it becomes part of your thoughts, the more normal it seems to you.

The less it affects you. The more you become its effect.

“Studies show the more cinematic depictions of violence to which a child is exposed, the more likely the child is to commit violent acts in adulthood.”

A Yahoo! News article, now missing from the Internet, made a similar point. “During the last week of September, there were 63 dead bodies visible during prime time on the six broadcast networks. That’s up sharply from the 27 bodies counted during the same week in 2004.” The article goes on to recount some of the ‘highlights’ – a “badly decomposed body,” a “maggot-covered head,” a “large chunk of bloody flesh,” a “driver speeding up to hit a woman,” a “victim of an auto-erotic asphyxiation,” and a “man screaming as he’s being burned alive.”

Ah, what fun.

Our societal preoccupation with sex has distorted self-images, broken hearts and families, spread disease, and caused much pain. But our desire to be entertained by violence has perhaps created an even more dangerous influence on society; people think in different ways, and they look at each other in different ways. Both are obviously bad for us. But many who would walk out of a film because of a sex scene, and righteously demand a refund, gladly plunk down eight or nine dollars to have their souls seared with the horrid dramatization of human suffering.

There’s a right and proper way to have a sexual relationship. Although most sexual content in popular culture twists that ideal in damaging ways, the nature of the gift itself remains divinely inspired.

There is neither a right nor a proper way to burn someone alive.

And the fact that some of you just considered whether there is indeed a ‘proper way’ may prove the point.