Violence easier accepted than sex

[livi]

In main stream movie and television productions, not least from America, there seem to be an extreme surplus of very vivid, sometimes grotesque violence depicted. However when it comes to sex a quick shot of a naked breast is all the audience is allowed to see. The rest you have to imagine (you filthy you!) or search on the porn shelves. The word porn meaning something dirty and shameful.

Why is it easier to digest and accept an appalling scene where a woman is, in great detail, mutilated with a chainsaw - than one where she is made love to ??

IMHO it is UTTER (there I go again) nonsense and a dangerous path, raising acceptance for violence and a ridiculous guiltiness about sex.

[frogger]

I can't figure it out. You'd think with the size of our nation's prison population and our crime stats, we'd rather have XXX pr0n playing 24/7 on every channel than the shows we currently have on our idiot boxes.

[livi]

I hesitate to risk open the proverbial can of worms and I most certainly do not mean any disrespect to the believers among us but;

is it at all possible that Christianity plays a part (not the violence, mind you) ?

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by livi

I hesitate to risk open the proverbial can of worms and I most certainly do not mean any disrespect to the believers among us but;

is it at all possible that Christianity plays a part (not the violence, mind you) ?

why remove the violence angle if you're going to ask the question?

As for the original question, goes to the puritanical roots of the country. And a lot of repression usually nurtured by organized religion. Plus a nice dollop of latent homosexuality that is vigorously denied by those that are "normal."

[Jeff Higgins]

Don't worry, ya durn for'ner, here's a "believer" that will answer that directly. I think the attitudes towards sex in my country harken back to our miss-guided Puritan past. If it's pleasurable, it must be evil, right? I think the same attitudes prevail concerning drugs, gambling, and other "vices". For some (for me, totally baffling) reason, even Americans that would never characterize themselves as "believers" will at times fall into this Puritan ethic.

Violence obviously falls outside of the realm of vice. It does not seem to make these Puritans uncomfortable in the same way as lustful, pleasurable behaviors will. I don't know; maybe it is more abstract to them, because it falls so far outside of something they can see themselves doing. It's way easier to remain detached watching violence than it is watching some one banging a beautiful woman.

[Tervuren]

Originally Posted by livi

In main stream movie and television productions, not least from America, there seem to be an extreme surplus of very vivid, sometimes grotesque violence depicted. However when it comes to sex a quick shot of a naked breast is all the audience is allowed to see. The rest you have to imagine (you filthy you!) or search on the porn shelves. The word porn meaning something dirty and shameful.

Why is it easier to digest and accept an appalling scene where a woman is, in great detail, mutilated with a chainsaw - than one where she is made love to ??

IMHO it is UTTER (there I go again) nonsense and a dangerous path, raising acceptance for violence and a ridiculous guiltiness about sex.

I don't like either scenario FYI.

Both violence and sex are part of life, although I feel a little hard to say my feelings on this as what violence means to me is a much older definition, and its changed a lot in the past hundred years, espcially with television.

When you watch a movie of a couple having sex, you are watching the actual acts, but when you see someone take a laster shot in star wars, its just a fake burn mark.

Why is it easier to digest and accept an appalling scene where a woman is, in great detail, mutilated with a chainsaw
I certainly think we need less things like this.

[nostatic]

also you should note that much of the sex portrayed is often rather violent and misogynist. A nice trifecta (or bifecta if you want to lump them together)

The old testament is full of violence and it often is portrayed as "good." Sex is always "evil." That doesn't help things...

[pwd72s]

Is sex dirty? It is if you do it right.

Line stolen from an old woody allen flick...

[Gogar]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

it (violence) falls so far outside of something they can see themselves doing. It's way easier to remain detached watching violence than it is watching some one banging a beautiful woman.

+1. The more obscene and gratuitous the violence, the better, actually. That makes it easier for the average person to dismiss it.

Perhaps It's better this way, unfortunately. If American television loosened it's "belt", so to speak, then sex would only become so much garbage like the rest of television.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I, for one, would much rather watch a quality porn than "Saw".

[The Gaijin]

[QUOTE=nostatic;3488401]

As for the original question, goes to the puritanical roots of the country... QUOTE]

I think our puritanical roots are way underrated. Compare the US to Brazil for example. Lots more sex on TV in Brazil and not "puritanical" at all.. But then compare the quality of life, crime statistics and all the rest.