Violence vs Sex in the Media

I think it's interesting to see how violence is accepted readily in the media and how sexuality isn't. So why is this? Our Puritan heritage?

I remember very clearly when I saw the movie BRAVEHEART. That movie, for those of you who have seen it, was full of violence. Next to me in the movie theatre, a ten year old kid was with his dad. There's one scene where Mel Gibson and his new wife are undressing. You couldn't even really see much nudity, just her breasts. But the father of the kid next to me shielded his son's eyes from that.

Yet, he allowed the kid to see all the gore.

Don't you guys think that's odd/ironic/weird?


I don't think I'd bring a little kid to see a really violent movie. No way.

Yea, thats something that always confused me too.

Heh that's funny that's what my family used to do. They would let me watch horror moviews like the friday the 13th,living dead,nightmare on elm street and yet they would not let me see nudity in them they would cover my eyes or change the channel. >:(

I think part of it is that society has been exposed to so much violence over the course of many hundreds of years. It's always been open in things like wars. Heck, we even saw our first televised war recently. We learn about it in school and witness it everyday if you just turn on the 5 o'clock news.

On the other hand, sex and nudity has typcially been taught as something to be kept in the house and behind closed doors. Society has lived with it for hundreds of years, but not openly like violence. Most media is conservative about sex and nudity, but then you are seeing a higher amount of sexual paraphenalia on things like movies, the internet and magazines.

My take on it is that nudity and sexuality in the media is starting to hit that phase where people are willing to be more open about it. Violence had a head start because you can't really hide the Civil war or any of the World Wars behind closed doors unlike sex. Eventually I think you'll see people becoming less conservative about sexual issues in the news and movies and become desenatized to it like they are with violence.

But that's my take on it.

That's true Miyu especially in cities like San Fransisco where things are VERY open about sexuality. You can't go more than a few blocks sometimes LOL and not be reminded that city is just really open. Contrasting that with parts of the Midwest and the South where it's very conservative overall. They didn't even have porno shops in Kentucky where I lived briefly because it was ...no surprise...illegal. But, there were stripclubs. Interestingly enough.

But yes I think we're becoming pretty open. There was a record number of couples at the Adult Video News and Adultcon expos this year...so that could be a sign things are changing.

Wasn't sex a much more fun and interesting concept before we knew much about it? I think it's better to become more jaded towards vilence than sex.

I will expose my kids to anything they want, but I will let them understand life for what it really is, they will not be shielded from the horrors, but guided through them so they can understand what people mean and what people say, Sex is beautiful, pornography isn't. Violence is beautiful, brutality isn't.

A fight is like a dance, two artists move back and fourth exchanging something deeper then thinking can go. during sex, atleast between two loves, there is something expressed, a unity of two and this is beautiful.

A man cutting off his own arm to live is nature, it is beautiful because it is, there is no truth or lie to it, no is or is not, nothing, it is nature because it happens because life is behind it, it is the reason, the problem, the solution.

The reason we shield people from it all is because it's too hard to teach them to see the beauty and not the raw savageness that each can become, self destruction, fucking, murder, these are all the ugliest of all possible things, all created by humanity, we hardly explain our reasons behind doing things out of shame of admitting our lust and our greed, wanting to believe we are good people.

but again back to the point (that was a fight club inspired rant), the point is we hide our children from beautiful things that we do not understand, or do not understand how to guide our offspring down the same path we went down, if you guide them correctly they will see what it really is that is happening not just the external and raw.

Faust said:

Wasn't sex a much more fun and interesting concept before we knew much about it? I think it's better to become more jaded towards vilence than sex.

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Yes that's true. People still find sex crimes pretty shocking.

I think in general, not even including movies that are make believe...violence is just a part of everyday life, esp in the news. We never hear much about the good things that happen...the stuff that makes headlines are wars, killings, etc etc.

I always found that the strangest thing about american culture...

Here is sweden nudity is no big deal at all, most kids have seen plenty of naked people I think. I mean, you see them all in real life, going swimming, sporting, gym class whatever... so why should they be weird on the screen?

Violence on the other hand... oooh dear, it has become better now, but we used to be infamous for cutting everything violent away from our movies... even those meant for adults!

Fishbomb said:

most kids have seen plenty of naked people I think. I mean, you see them all in real life, going swimming, sporting, gym class whatever...

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I guess Sweden is different I usually don't see naked people in gym class...

Fishbomb said:

I always found that the strangest thing about american culture...

Here is sweden nudity is no big deal at all, most kids have seen plenty of naked people I think. I mean, you see them all in real life, going swimming, sporting, gym class whatever... so why should they be weird on the screen?

Violence on the other hand... oooh dear, it has become better now, but we used to be infamous for cutting everything violent away from our movies... even those meant for adults!

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Well, I guess Europe is very different from the United States.

Zanza said:

Well, I guess Europe is very different from the United States.

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Duh. ;)

-Griffith

Zanza said:

Well, I guess Europe is very different from the United States.​

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Of course it is. In England, you can see pretty much anything on TV. Wangs, breast, nipple and sometimes a show will give the viewers a hairy-axe-wound to stare at. It might sound cool, but you've got to wait until 9pm for the adult stuff to come on. We do have some self esteem ::)

My great-grandmother was born in England, and she thinks that everything is pornography. I try telling her that it's not, but she's convinced.

I showed her some of my manga. You know what her response was? "Oh, dear."

Zanza said:

I showed her some of my manga. You know what her response was? "Oh, dear."

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Yeah, when I showed my grandma volume 13 she totally took it the wrong way too! Old people, huh?

-Griffith

Griffith said:

Yeah, when I showed my grandma volume 13 she totally took it the wrong way too! Old people, huh?

-Griffith

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What!? Don't tell me she was offended by Puck.

Vampire_Hunter_Bob said:

What!? Don't tell me she was offended by Puck.

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Puck isn't even in volume 13.

Zanza said:

Puck isn't even in volume 13.

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Didn't even get that vol yet.

Fishbomb said:

I always found that the strangest thing about american culture...

Here is sweden nudity is no big deal at all, most kids have seen plenty of naked people I think. I mean, you see them all in real life, going swimming, sporting, gym class whatever... so why should they be weird on the screen?

Violence on the other hand... oooh dear, it has become better now, but we used to be infamous for cutting everything violent away from our movies... even those meant for adults!

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I heard that too from an exchange student my family hosted a long time back. She was saying that a lot of the violent movies got seriously cut to the point that they weren't even worth watching anymore. Scandinavia has always been open-minded about nudity and I think most of Europe has too. When I was in France they showed this really sexy lingerie ad and this woman comes out bare-breasted. They had safe sex ads fifteen years ago or more over there. I thought it was cool...shows how comfortable they are with their bodies AND their sexuality. Nude beaches are family affairs...not like over here where perverts perch on the rocks staring to get a glimpse.

And it's not that exciting LOL

LORD MAGEFIST said:

I guess Sweden is different I usually don't see naked people in gym class...

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I have seen some skimpy outfits but definitely no naked people ;)

Lady Sexy Charlotte said:

I have seen some skimpy outfits but definitely no naked people ;)

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That reminds me. I need to go work out tonight. ;)

Hey!! That's Miyu's avatar!! Now we have two cute butts on here :)

Lady Sexy Charlotte said:

Hey!! That's Miyu's avatar!! Now we have two cute butts on here :)

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Woah, thanks for pointing that out I was too lazy too look at the name .

Lady Sexy Charlotte said:

Hey!! That's Miyu's avatar!! Now we have two cute butts on here :)

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faust had that avatar since I came here...heh maybe he should move on...

I know exactly where I stand. It's just stupid to even feel the need to censor. At a young age I was incredibly perverted because of my brother's porno mags. I never really went through an oblivious age. I can see ratings but listen R rated movies shouldn't be cut if NC-17 is usally given to porns then don't cut R or make some higher ground... Censorship is just the conservative idea that parents can be The Catcher in the Rye and protect thier children from adulthood, go around and erase any and all vulgarities. Violence sells to aeveryone, sex sells to mature people, since kindergarten kids have a love of violence "play fighting" and such but little boys feel little girls have "kooties". I'd say new york is very open but still does not go past the censorship. However most odn't realize that violence in movies and violence in reality are very different reality can be very scary and disgusting no matter how small. A long time ago i was in a bycle "oh shit a car accident", I avoided a car but flew off of my bike on the curb trying to avoid it. my knee was cut so deep I could see the flesh, and quickly the blood ran down my knee. It was scarier to me than almost anything I've seen in a violent movie (takashi miike-like movies aside).