In today’s MediaPost blog, Ed Martin, tells us how shocked he is that Fox’s “24” has become graphically violent and inappropriate to the point of offense. While the post is thoughtful, my immediate reaction was shock at the notion of, well, being shocked.
In a recent episode, Jack tortures the hell out of a bad guy. The scene culminates in Jack disemboweling the guy in order to retrieve a swallowed micro chip. Now, that is dedication and pride in your work! Ewwwww, yes. A bit much, perhaps. But why would any of us expect anything less?
Really? This is shocking? Why would a torture storyline shock anyone when (a) it has been a front page story for years; (b) a majority of Americans polled said torture is a valid means of fighting the “war on terror”; and (c) the leader of the free world defended such use? Art imitates life….even when it is ugly.
Moreover, while I know things are all a matter of degree, is there really a difference between this and showing bodies and blood stained floors each week on the Dateline “dead body of the week” starring the appropriately ghoulish Chris Hanson (I think that is his name, though I often confuse him with the late John Carradine)? ABC’s “Happy Town” just featured a guy getting a hole hammered completely through his head. Worse yet, the access shows like “Extra” have been wall-to-wall with images of Larry King and his junior-by-83 years wife kissing. Sheesh.
Yep. Times have changed. I can recall many arguments with S&P on my shows over things arguably less severe. Then again, the nets aren’t stupid. Their future 18-34 crowd is, as I type, eviscerating and beheading tons of increasingly photo real humans on their XBox . They know what Gen XYZ, or whatever they are called these days, has grown accustomed to.
If we vote for folks who condone horrific acts in the purported defense of liberty and condone 10 year olds at play with content that makes “Natural Born Killers” and “Scarface” look like quaint little period pieces, what do we expect? Oh, and by the way, it is, let’s not forget, FOX.
I couldn’t agree with you more. Instead of worrying about the so-called offensive content of network television shows, the public should be focusing on the atrocities occurring in the real world. Repeated exposure to these images of violence, whether via a television program or network news report, have indeed caused the general public to become immune or numb to the horror of violence. The consumption of violence-laden imagery has led to desensitization and a lack of empathy for human suffering.
Concerns about the impact of television violence on viewers are almost as old as the medium itself. Violence has become the acceptable way we solve problems. Entertainment violence is a slippery slope. With repeated exposure, even the most gruesome depictions of violence eventually seem tame to us. In time, viewers become desensitized so the entertainment industry has to continue to push the envelope in order to elicit the same reaction from their audience. Kind of like a drug addict having to increase the amount of drugs they consume to continue getting the same high as their original dose.
Hollywood continues to produce increasingly graphic and gory entertainment products, all while denying any culpability for the violent behaviors their products may inspire. The same can be said of the news media — protected by the First Amendment and the belief that the American public has “the right to know.” Showing graphic news coverage of violent crimes or war coverage will continue and the public will continue to become complacent about such imagery.
So, what is to be done? Does Ed Martin’s revelation that he is shocked by the content of Fox’s “24″ script really accomplish anything? No, in fact, he is but one of many viewers who find violence on television upsetting and ever-increasing. Writing blogs or editorials won’t effect change. Nor will pressing our public officials to enact legislation to mandate appropriate viewer content. Public officials should not act in loco parentis when parents have the power to make media decisions for themselves and their families. Determining what type of media they consume is a quintessential parental responsibility. We are all responsible for our own viewing choices and if enough consumers opt to do something drastic or earth-shattering like, i.e., change the channel, that action just may influence the script writers and news anchors to filter the content of the shows.