3 ms·
I find that violence doesn't really feel real to most Americans, and I think one of the main causes of this is that the US is so isolated from world events. WW
by GarrisonPrime 10y ago
I find that violence doesn't really feel real to most Americans, and I think one of the main causes of this is that the US is so isolated from world events.
WWII, Vietnam, etc. all happened "out there somewhere", and aren't really considered by those who didn't actively participate. Veterans of such conflicts are acknowledged as being deeply affected, but the rest of the populace effectively shrugs as if to say "sorry, I don't get it", and go about their lives.
Terrorist attacks and Mexican cartel atrocities affect less than 0.00001 % of the population. (Assuming perhaps 3,200 people per year, which is quite a high estimate.) To the rest, it's just a special effect display or soap opera drama on TV. Street violence in poverty-stricken communities is the closest thing people have to experiencing violence in the US, but that only affects a relatively small portion of the country, and those with little influence.
tl;dr: I think violence is acceptable in US media because most Americans have no true comprehension of violence. It's all a video game or a movie to them.
- anexprogrammer 10y agoThe way it's depicted, especially in more modern productions must contribute a lot too. Little wonder it seems like a game when gun battles (and often fight scenes and even car chases) now all look like parody.
- todd8 10y agoI think you mean 0.001%
- GarrisonPrime 10y agoHa. So I do. So much for my maths degree. :P
- alanwatts 10y ago>Television brought the brutality of war into the comfort of the living room. Vietnam was lost in the living rooms of America - not on the battlefields of Vietnam. -Marshall McLuhan The Vietnam War was the only one which was so honestly broadcast to the American public. Since then, the media has realized that real violence is not good for ratings, or the war effort.
- GarrisonPrime 10y agoTrue enough. But there is still an element of detachment involved. It seems surreal.