Sex vs Violence

[finn's mom]

Maybe someone out there can help me see a different perspective on this. I just posted in the "movies you watched today" thread, and it got me thinking about this...

Just saw "Zack and Miri Make a Porno." I can totally see why many, many people would never go to see it. First of all, the title itself could be very off-putting. And, then the movie...well, it's a Kevin Smith film in every sense. It's raunchy, vulgar and foul. I LOVED IT.

What confuses me is this...some guy in Salt Lake City, Utah banned it from being shown in his theaters. You know, that's fine. He also banned "Brokeback Mountain" and apparently later regretted that decision.

My problem is not so much that he's banned this film because it has nudity (brief full frontal for one man and one woman and lots of T & A throughout) and is brutal in it's use of language (I would be interested to know how many times the F-bomb is dropped in this flick!).

My issue stems from the fact that he did not ban "Saw V."

Someone...please...explain to me why it's ok for people to watch ultra violence (beheadings, self tracheotomies with ball point pens, bodies getting cut in two, self mutilation, etc...and that's just in this installment of the series!), but it's not ok for people to see someones privates.

I know they have to be out there...people who would rather their child see death than sex. Just like I know there are people out there who rubberneck at accidents on the side of the highway. But, I haven't met a single person who will admit to it.

Personally, I would rather my child not see either. But, honestly, if I had to chose, I'd rather my kid see full blown porn than to see the battle scenes in "300" or "Gladiator."

The only reason I can think of is that sex is more accessible than ultra violence. But, still...that's pretty far fetched to me. I don't know...this is just something I've always wondered about. Again...call me weird, but I'd rather my kid go to bed dreaming of naked people than go to bed having nightmares about terrorists and beheadings.

[blue]

I think it all comes down to American Culture from the very begining. We had a very violent and prudish start.

[finn's mom]

I think it all comes down to American Culture from the very begining. We had a very violent and prudish start.

Point taken, but I'd like to hear how individuals feel. Because again, I have only heard from people who agree that sex is the lesser of the two evils (as far as a child viewing a film).

I'd like to hear from someone who, if given a choice, would set their child in front of a TV playing the video of the American getting beheaded instead of in front of the Pam Anderson/Tommy Lee sex tape.

I'm typically a very compassionate, empathetic person, and I'm good at at least trying to see other perspectives...but there are just some things I can't fathom.

[RICHARD]

Here's a perspective.


How many times will you see a totally nude human, as opposed to the entrail of a guy hacked to death with a potato peeler?

There is something more farfetched about a 'rollicking' good slasher movie than there is about nudies running about on the screen.

Both subjects are viceral to some people, but I am sure we are more phobic about sex than we are about murder.

You are more apt to go home and knock boots with your SO, than gut him like a catfish with your letter opener.

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People choose to go with the lesser evil- they will not waste the time to monitor what they or their kids watch.

When you name a movie, as this one was-with porn in the title, the chips will fall where they may. This kinda goes back to the arguement about SNL being funny anymore.

If you get an actor to appear naked in a movie, you don't have to worry about a script. If you can make 5 Saw movies and keep finding ways to kill people you don't have to worry about a script.

It really depends on what offends, what sells and how much money you want to make.

[finn's mom]

How many times will you see a totally nude human, as opposed to the entrail of a guy hacked to death with a potato peeler?

There is something more farfetched about a 'rollicking' good slasher movie than there is about nudies running about on the screen.

Point taken. And that is the only "argument" I could see, as I stated in the last paragraph in my original post.

And, years ago, I would be 100% down with that perspective. And, it could be just another one of those things that the media has chosen to cover more of...but seems to me that children are commiting more violent crimes than they ever have in history. Again, that type of crime might not actually be more, and I've just fallen prey to the media blowing trends out of proportion for ratings or whatever...Still not as likely to kill someone as they are to have sex with someone, but it does seem like it's "on the rise."

And, I'm also not saying at all that I think movies or video games cause people to be violent, that's a whole separate thread.

[Cataholic]

FM- I haven't seen any of the movies you referenced in the first post. I am not sure I had heard of any of them, either.

I have found, as I have 'matured' (at least chronologically, right?) that most of the violent movies are totally offensive to me. I can't bear to watch them. In fact, after having my son, I even find some fictional writing to be totally offensive, and I was a HUGE murder/mystery/crime genre buff before.

Maybe the fact that the banning took place in SLC holds the answer?