Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!hc!lll-winken!tekbspa!optilink!cramer
From: cramer@optilink.UUCP (Clayton Cramer)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: New Communications Morality
Message-ID: <1203@optilink.UUCP>
Date: 11 Apr 89 16:29:27 GMT
References: <231@imspw6.UUCP>
Organization: Optilink Corporation, Petaluma, CA
Lines: 70

> From Ted Holden, HTE:
> The thing I have the most difficulty with is what I call disconnected
> violence.  I don't particularly mind having kids watch American football, or
> one of Mike Tyson's or Roberto Duran's outings, or even something like the
> old 'Victory at Sea' series;  that's connected voilence.  A kid can pretty
> easily see that war is a nasty business watching Victory at Sea or that
> you'd really better know what you're getting into if you're thinking about
> getting into prize-fighting or NFL football.  All of the consequences of
> these things are right there in front of him.
>  
> However, when an American kid watches WWF wrestling, or any of the bullshit
> cartoons that one sees on TV anymore (metalman, superheros, league of
> justice, defenders of the earth, transformers, and on and on and on), he's
> seeing sadism glorified, and disconnected violence.  He is being told that

While I agree with Ted about what he calls "disconnected violence" (more
accurately, unrealistic non-consequential violence), I think calling it
"sadism glorified" is a bit strong.  These shows glorify violence, not
sadism.

> he can drop-kick the kid next door, gouge his eyes out, beat his head into
> the oak tree, break chairs over his head etc. etc. etc., and that nothing
> really bad will come of it;  the kid next door will probably recuperate and
> be back to normal an hour later, just like Hulk Hogan does.  Watching the
> A-Team, a kid learns that he can fire machine-guns at the other team for
> hours on end, and they'll probably be all right, except possibly for a few
> bruises.

This was long my objection to the "A Team" -- that so many bullets could
be fired and never hit anyone!  Admittedly, it was sort of a cartoon
for adults, but it was popular with a lot of kids.

On the other hand, a show like "Miami Vice" contains a tremendous amount
of violence, but there are consequences to that violence -- death, 
suffering, and emotional trauma.  THAT sort of violence doesn't bother
me, because it shows the consequences.

My wife feels the same way about how sex is portrayed on television --
especially the soap operas.

> Like I say, I just have a really hard time with all of this.  The commercial
> TV networks are really lying to our children.  When somebody yells 'FIRE!'
> in a crowded place where there is no fire and causes a panic and a number of
> people get trampled trying to get out, American law cracks down on the
> culprit pretty hard;  no liberals or ACLU types will be noted standing
> around protesting his innocence due to 2'nd ammendment rights.  Logically, I

First Amendment, I think you mean.

If my memory serves me right, the example of shouting "FIRE!" in a crowded
theater comes from the minority opinion written by Justice Oliver 
Wendell Holmes involving distribution of anti-draft literature during
World War I.  Not a very persuasive line of reasoning, considering
the context of the statement.

> fail to see any really good reason not to do the same with the purveyors of
> WWF wrestling, A-TEAM, 90 percent of the Saturnday morning cartoon
> offerings, and a great deal of the other garbage on our air waves.
>  
> Ted Holden

One good reason: there are a lot of people who feel, just as strongly,
that magazines like Playboy and Penthouse should be prohibited because
they provide the same unrealistic, non-consequential view of sex.
Do we really want to repeal the First Amendment?
-- 
Clayton E. Cramer                   {pyramid,pixar,tekbspa}!optilink!cramer
Abandon all hopes of utopia -- there are people involved.
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