Does describing Plato's disparagement of poets and storytellers as a "panic attack" and linking this disparagement to attacks on dime novels, moving pictures, television, and video games make concerns about the prevalence of violence and other unsavoury behavior in these media seem unfounded?
In some sections of this book, Gottschall suggests that stories--fiction, film--exerts a strong influence on our worldview. How concerned should we be about the effect fiction and film have on the worldview of those who read or watch movies? Is it enough to say simply that if you don't like something, don't watch it? How concerned should we be about what other people watch and read?
I believe we should be VERY concerned about the type of material that is being fed to society. As Gottschall proposes in this book, the stories we absorb become a big part of who we are. They capture our senses entirely. Our emotions can be controlled through story.
ReplyDeleteI read an interesting article about the effects of pornography on children. (Here is the link: http://www.protectkids.com/effects/harms.htm) Pornography twists a young mind into believing that the porn movie they are witnessing, no matter how far-fetched or immoral it may be, it 100% okay. Many sex trafficking rings film porn. Their films consist of women being raped and beaten; nevertheless, people watch and enjoy these types of films daily. It is terrifying as a woman to think that pornography is still legal. It has clearly made a negative impact on society as we know it.
I completely agree with your comment, Sidney, but the hard part is that the United States Constitutional guarantee of Freedom of Speech. -And there are other, similarly difficult questions.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your comment, Sidney. The hard part and the question is how should we deal with this type of speech or story while protecting the U S Constitutional guarantee of Freedom of Speech .
ReplyDelete"Freedom of Speech" is a very loose term in my opinion. Before the Civil Rights movement, it was acceptable to refer to African Americans with what are now known as racial slurs. Today, such speech is known as hate speech and not protected by the Constitution. I believe the same harsh restrictions could be placed on pornography. It has no place in our society.
DeleteWhat the society gets fed is very important to be aware of. Even something little can be taken far and even to the extremes on some cases. Take the new movie “The Purge” it has gotten very popular and on social networks they are having its own purge of posting exposed girls or guys to pretty much kill their defamation and ruin their lives. Supposedly there were even incidents where these individuals would kill themselves. I do not really know if it is true since I read that off the internet, but that still means someone was stripped of their trust. Even though we may not find something suitable to our liking, it isn’t really any of our concern to be aware of what people read or watch. It is their life and what they choose to be influenced by is their choice. We just need to know right from wrong and live up to our morals.
ReplyDeleteSutida Hanratanagorn
Gottschall’s use of the term “panic attack” when referring to Plato’s actions and the actions of others against certain types of fiction does make the issue seem unfounded. However, Gottschall is absolutely correct in his wording. Many pieces of literature that are viewed as masterpieces were at one point or another challenged and/or banned because their content was seen as unsuitable. Books such as To Kill a Mockingbird, The Catcher and the Rye, Slaughterhouse Five, In Cold Blood, and Of Mice and Men (just to name a few) were targets of the “panic attacks.” This is ridiculous. What right do we have to control what people choose to read? The same goes for movies and television. We can be concerned with what we intake, but we can not control what other people choose. With that being said, we do need to be concerned with age appropriate content. Books, Movies, and Television all have warnings on what content they contain. The ratings system exists for a reason. We do not have to be concerned with the effect of fiction on others when they consume the level of fiction that is designed for their level of maturity. You wouldn't give a book like the Hunger Games, which involves graphic content of children murdering others their age, to a child who should be reading Dr. Seuss. They can not mentally or emotionally handle that level of maturity and ,therefore, would be more likely not to find the line that divides fiction from reality. As far as fully mature adults go, it really is as simple as saying “if you don’t like it, don’t watch it.”
ReplyDelete-Ashton Mayle
I agree that every individual must monitor their own intake of fiction. There are benefits of reading some controversial works of fiction because fiction is usually biased in a way that is in accordance with our moral code. Though some works of fiction are not for all people, and that is usually because the reader isn't mature enough or knowledgeable enough to understand the writer's message. For example, the entire time I was reading 'A Clockwork Orange,' I was disturbed and upset, but I understood that the author was not condoning the protagonists behavior, but condemning it. He was using violence as a way to get his point across, and that can easily be misunderstood by many readers, so it is important for fiction to be monitored on an individual basis.
DeleteI agree completely that we should be careful what we watch and listen to. Like my mother always said “you get out what you put in.” If you are only watching movies with vulgar language, lots of sex scenes, and even drugs or alcohol abuse it begins to seem normal. Now do not get me wrong, I am not a stickler for watching only movies that have no profane language or anything even slightly racy, but I do believe it has an effect on our mentality. Like Sidney pointed out much earlier with pornography I know from research that I have conducted before that watching porn can actually harm yourself, your relationships, and even the way you look at the world. Another example is what I like to call “girl porn” also known as romantic movies. When you read that it probably sounds odd, but it is true. I know that whenever I start watching movies like The Notebook, Safe Haven, or even Hitch I start wondering why men don’t act like that towards me. I have to slowly come to the realization again that life is not a fairy tale and that sometimes men are human and have human flaws. I definitely agree that fiction and what we watch heavily affects our daily lives.
ReplyDelete-Abigail Blose