I am so sick of seeing gigantic posters of gun-wielding actors in my face as I make my way around my city. As much as I love so many American films, I resent the glorification of weapons, not to mention the exportation of America’s gun culture to other countries.
In some posters, guns are flaunted like fashion accessories. Guns are not glamorous.
Isn’t there enough violence in the world?
Juliet in Paris
You are right!
Why does violence sell? I am thinking it is a male thing. Unfortunately, violence is a big moneymaker.
I like to think it is only a small part
of American entertainment. I hope I
am not being naive.
It is fortunately only a segment of American entertainment. As I said, my most favourite films – from the 1940s onwards – are American.
Why does violence sell? That’s a good question. My two godsons, aged 14 and 12, will only watch films with gun battles in them. When I ask why, they say “We want ACTION!!”
Agreed.
It’s true that male aggressivity, fuelled by high testosterone levels, cashes in on the desire to see violence in films…
I’ve become so used to seeing posters of guns, not to mention half-clad women, that I just tune out. But now that you’ve mentioned it,
But now that you’ve mentioned it so eloquently, I wonder why there is no ban on the display of arms in advertising. What message does this send to children? I, too, am sick of it.
I found this on the Internet, dated 2013 –
Time Warner Bans Gun Ads, Continues to Produce Movies Full of Gun Violence
Despite the fact that its subsidiary Warner Bros. routinely distributes blockbuster movies that are replete with gratuitous gun violence, Time Warner Cable has issued a company-wide ban on television ads that show “guns pointed at people”.
“We no longer accept ads showing semiautomatic weapons and guns pointed at people,” Time Warner Cable said in a statement. “We stand by this policy.”
“However, this new found conscience on reducing violent gun imagery will not be embraced by movie productions funded by Time Warner itself and distributed by Warner Bros. The upcoming Sylvester Stallone film, Bullet to the Head, features a plethora of gun violence, with the poster for the movie being riddled with illustrative bullet holes.”
Pathetic, isn’t it? We need women running the show. To leave this issue in the hands of men, especially Hollywood men, is a nonstarter.
It seems to me that most men aren’t concerned by this issue AT ALL. Fathers seem to regard the watching of violent films by their sons as a rite of passage. I mean, who wants a sissy son, right?
Let’s face it, it’s a guy thing.
If women ran Hollywood, would it be different? If so, how?
Well, I can only hope that there’d be a lot less gratuitous violence in movies and some sort of ban on advertising violence and guns in movies. I can only hope that there’d be less sexism, more older women in interesting parts and no more older males hooked up with or lusting after girls young enough to be their daughters. I can only hope that there’d be wage parity between men and women. As for working parents, that crèches would be installed in the Hollywood studios so that mothers could be close to their babies and working moms (and dads) would have the same generous maternity-paternity benefits that exist in Sweden, Canada, France.