Do We Really Love Our Culture of Violence?

At a recent family reunion, we were all discussing our favorite T.V. shows, and all of them had violence as a basic premise in the storyline. Whether it is Blacklist, 24, Walking Dead, etc., our favorite programs and movies are usually those that contain a lot of violence.

"It's Only Art"
We seem to justify this by saying, “It's only fiction and art...” “The review ratings are so high that it is hard to pass up...” “I love the actors...”

When there is a high school shooting, or thousands of innocents killed in war, or other violence appears in the news, are we becoming more numb to the
blood, bullets, and extreme forms of death due to our acceptance of on-screen violence?

Do we really love our culture of violence?
What about children these days? Video games keep getting more extreme in their involvement of the numerous ways to kill another person. I have witnessed very young children being taken into a movie that seemed far beyond their years regarding handling the violence on the screen.

We seem to be numb and deaf to any discussion of it. It is what it is, you might say. Therefore, we assume that we must just accept it as a part of our lives. I myself was a fan of 24 and Blacklist and even started playing World of Warcraft after seeing my son playing it for hours at a time. I killed and was killed many times in the game. I healed and helped to fight many monsters in deep, dark caves and dungeons.

Inspiration and Spiritual Blessings
What is ironic is that I believe in inspiration and spiritual blessings and have a mystical background in my faith. It has occurred to me in recent months that watching violence on T.V. and in movies does not resonate with my soul anymore. At the time of this writing, there are two movies in the theater that is only a few miles away from where I live: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Guardians of the Galaxy. Both have over 91% critic review ratings, which make them a priority for me to want to see. However, I have lost interest, due to the violence in both of these movies. It's not too difficult to see why it conflicts with my love of inspiration, spiritual topics, and faith.

Faith and Violence
Regarding faith, there are many people of faith that enjoy violent television programs and movies. Their faith does not seem to stop them from seeking out that kind of entertainment. I know this because this thinking has been a part of my life for a number of years, until now. Most faiths have certain teachings of non-violence, peace, and love. Extreme forms of faith can result in terrorism, both in the real world and in our movies.

Do we really love our culture of violence?

Maybe, if you are still reading this, you can ask yourself that question the next time you see someone get stabbed, shot, or tortured in a television program or movie. When we have bad dreams, we call them nightmares. When we see violent entertainment that we love, we share it on Facebook, tell our friends, and maybe write a rave review on it. Do you see the contradiction here, or is it just me?

David Brown
Catalyst333

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