There's been quite a bit of talk about the violence in video
games, comic books, Hollywood movies, and even on children's cartoons.
Sometimes it is quite alarming, and although it is disguised as
entertainment, it sure puts a lot of negative thoughts into people's
head, and it is quite disconcerting when we see violence in our society
mimicking the art we see on TV or on the silver screen. Should Hollywood
moviemakers and script writers of screenplays take more responsibility
for their effect on society?
Well, we can't force them to do this because that would be limiting free speech, and the last thing we wish to do is quell the creative and innovative minds of those who produce these movies and TV shows, even the video games. Yet at the same time, we realize how we are challenged by all this. Personal responsibility is the key, and people shouldn't go around shooting things up, just as they saw in an action drama, or a comic book storyline made into a movie.
A case study might be the tragic Colorado shooting at the premier opening-night of a Batman film, where just over 70 people were shot, and 12 of them died that night, and it was the worst shooting by a single shooter in US history. Yes, the weapons that are available are getting better, and in this case someone with high intellect came up with an insidious plan to do the most carnage. He was a PhD neurology candidate at the local university there. He was smart, cunning, devious, and evil all in the same breath, and he even dyed his hair red and called himself; "the Joker" to go along with the movie theme that night of the shooting.
Anytime something tragic happens like this, everyone looks for blame, or to try to make sense of it. The anti-gun rights activists are out in full force wishing to bring that into the national discussion. Surely, there will be people who will bring up the violence on TV, video games, comic books, and at the movies, as I have here today. Some long-standing movies, many of them very violent have almost a cult following, sometimes that can be a good thing for branding, and big money at the box office, other times it can turn into a real negative, and in this case a tragedy.
Although by the time it is over hundreds of millions of people will see that movie, as hundreds of millions of people have seen Batman movies and cartoons, or paged through comic books before. Unfortunately, on that day, one person turned an obsession of that branding experience into a terrible tragedy for all. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.
Well, we can't force them to do this because that would be limiting free speech, and the last thing we wish to do is quell the creative and innovative minds of those who produce these movies and TV shows, even the video games. Yet at the same time, we realize how we are challenged by all this. Personal responsibility is the key, and people shouldn't go around shooting things up, just as they saw in an action drama, or a comic book storyline made into a movie.
A case study might be the tragic Colorado shooting at the premier opening-night of a Batman film, where just over 70 people were shot, and 12 of them died that night, and it was the worst shooting by a single shooter in US history. Yes, the weapons that are available are getting better, and in this case someone with high intellect came up with an insidious plan to do the most carnage. He was a PhD neurology candidate at the local university there. He was smart, cunning, devious, and evil all in the same breath, and he even dyed his hair red and called himself; "the Joker" to go along with the movie theme that night of the shooting.
Anytime something tragic happens like this, everyone looks for blame, or to try to make sense of it. The anti-gun rights activists are out in full force wishing to bring that into the national discussion. Surely, there will be people who will bring up the violence on TV, video games, comic books, and at the movies, as I have here today. Some long-standing movies, many of them very violent have almost a cult following, sometimes that can be a good thing for branding, and big money at the box office, other times it can turn into a real negative, and in this case a tragedy.
Although by the time it is over hundreds of millions of people will see that movie, as hundreds of millions of people have seen Batman movies and cartoons, or paged through comic books before. Unfortunately, on that day, one person turned an obsession of that branding experience into a terrible tragedy for all. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.
No comments:
Post a Comment