So first of all let me say that I am a raging “24” fan and a political liberal; and I really don’t see the problem with that.
That said…
I was listening to Kiefer Sutherland on the radio this morning promoting the new season. He was asked about the concerns expressed by higher ups at West Point about cadets being influenced by Jack Bauer’s wantonly violent tendencies. Sutherland’s answer was one you really want to agree with: if it is true that cadets have some sort of “Jack Bauer syndrome” then we have a much bigger problem than a TV show.
My first reaction was to laugh knowingly with Kiefer. But then I bumped into this article in today’s Washington Post about psychological research that finds that heavy consumers of romantic comedies are more likely to have unrealistic and unfulfillable expectations about romance than those who do not.
This raises a question that is generally met with hysterical laughter -- or simple derision --by the Hollywood types: does the entertainment industry have any responsibility for the impact on society that they (we?) caused by the particular flavors of myth-making we perpetrate?
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I think that the entertainment PTBs would say they don't have a responsibility. After all, it's just that: entertainment and fiction. The public has the right to moderate for themselves what they watch and listen to. Free speech and all that. It's also a business and what makes money makes money. The public doesn't watch Eli Stone or Pushing Daisies (cancelled - boo), but they're crying out for Dancing with the Stars.
ReplyDeleteI wish they would take responsibility though.
The industry as a whole will never "take responsibility", it's just bad business for everyone but the lawyers.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion that means it is ultimately the responsibility of the artists and craftsmen behind those films to make responsible films.
In Ron Suppa's book "Real Screenwriting" he quotes writer/director Kevin Sullivan, who says "I think when you get people in a dark room for two hours, that is a privilege... if you're going to celebrate violence, marginalize women, make racial statements, UNANSWERED, you are abusing that privilege".
P.S., I always laugh when people debate whether tv/films affect our behavior or not. It's a ridiculous argument, because of course they do, that's the whole point, isn't it -- to affect someone/be affected emotionally?
People remember films. They emulate them in both negative and positive ways. This can be -- is -- healthy, it is the ultimate purpose of all art. But it doesn't absolve anyone of personal responsibility. If you emulate them to the point of becoming destructive, you are a moron and should only watch Sesame Street.