The Violence Debate

Recently, i've played Saints Row 2, watched Natural Born Killers for the10th time or so, and read an interesting article, and it got me thinking. This whole Media/Violence link that the media have imagined up, do we actually think there's anything to it? I dont particularly feel the need to go out and kill people, or act ina particular way. Nor do i feel as though encountering any of these forms of media are desensitizing violence to me, (but maybe they are...) what do we think?

killing in games is better than killing for real isnt it?

I think it is desensitizing it, however not promoting it. As the influence of the media is growing more and more shows are being allowed to be shown, that 20 years ago would not have been allowed.

The media doesn't make me violent.
Listenong to infinite re-treads of the same tired debate, with the most predictable arguments for and against, might just.

Ha!

Human nature has hardly changed much from the Gladiator's in Rome days.

But it's jolly decent of us to pretend that it has, eh?

Human nature hasn't, but the zeitgeist has.

The media/games/films/music/religion can influence you, as can anything in life. It just depends how totally insane you are to take your influence and actually do something wacky in the name of it.

Subliminal dig at religious fanatics totally intended, hopefully fully offensive.

Sadly we're a little low on religious zealots.

Wouldn't have minded a few devout Catholics to get really stuck into.

Got a mate who goes to church and we've gotten pretty frustrated by him. He said, get this, "I don't want to look at anything that challenges my faith" after I suggested he pick up The God Delusion for a fiver in Asda to have a fair and balanced view. He also says he wasn't indoctrinated, but yesterday said to me "If I hadn't been raised this way I would probably agree with you". He's a lovely guy and a great pal for the most part, but statements like these are annoying. I'm still trying my best to be respectful and we've had some pretty intense-but-amicable debates, and from what I can tell he's sticking to it for comfort's sake. The problem is, he's perpetuating the Catholic church's grip on young minds everywhere and he holds some pretty abhorrent and backwards views in the context of the church. I wouldn't mind so much if he read some Dawkins/Hitchens/Harris and decided to stick with what he knows, but refusing to even consider evidence contrary to his beliefs is surely an admission of doubt. He has a right to do what he wants, but when I suspect what he says he wants isn't actually that.

My friend won't read Dawkins either and he gets pretty angry if we discuss religion for a while. But he's not affected by it at all really, thankfully, but he's a very spiritual person. He didn't like hearing that Einstein was never religious, he keeps denying it fervently lol.

My mum shuddered when I told her I was looking forward to a movie called Antichrist. It's like, for your God's sake...

At least she didn't come to NIN, in an arena with 15,000 people screaming, "God is dead, and noone cares". As for religious people refusing to see things from a balanced perspective, that's just the way things roll I'm afraid. I'm totally open to religion if it helps people, and praying often seems to be a good form of therapy. However, when religion is used as a tool to control, it's a little crazy.

Also, religion and politics should never mix. For a contemporary example, you only need to look at the evil, barbaric Sharia law to realise that. Condoning the stoning of a 13-year old girl for BEING raped, claiming she was being 'sexually provocative'? That isn't religion: that's sick, twisted, and fucking insane. I'm not having a dig at Islam by the way; Christianity is just as bad, it's just Sharia is the most recent example of primitive evil that sticks in my head.

I fucking love violence

Get a grip! If I see more of this nonsense you'll be sorry, chum!

EDIT: Oh wait, it's the teahouse. Stern looks all round.

i say, in the teahouse of all places to speak such vulgar language



:dan:

Pardon me, gents.

JokerJamie wrote:I fucking love violence

We need some truly gentlemanly smileys.

Yeah very true. How do we add smileys then?

click the smiley face

Yeah but how do we add new ones? Because we really are lacking in little, smiling gentlemanly acquaintances.

if you can find one put it in the smiley thread, then seany might add it.