Films are primarily present for entertainment. Yet, some critical thinkers, even those contributing to the existence of the film industry, would downplay some movies which, as they would accuse, contain a significant amount of violence. After reading Oliver Stone’s Memo to John Grisham: What’s Next – “A Movie Made Me Do It? ”, I believe that films contribute only a speck – or none at all – of violence to a person, as opposed to bad upbringing and influences during as early as a person’s childhood.
As Stone (2007) counter-argues, “15,000 hours of mostly violent TV programming might have had slightly more effect on these youngsters than two hours of Natural Born Killers” (n. p. ).
He makes a great point in relation to who should be blamed for generating or contributing to societal violence. Well, I think that if critics would blame a single industry for their fair share of contribution to societal violence, then all other industries that seem to do the same should be criticized as well.
A link may exist between media violence and societal violence. However, this link may have been too overrated during the years, as many people believe that media violence – mostly in films, TV programs, and video games – causes societal violence. Some people would fail – whether purposely or not – to notice that people could pick up bad habits and influences as early as childhood. It is also heightened when alcohol and drug abuse are involved.
I believe that violence is existent in the world that people live in – even at the safety of their household. There is a significant amount of probability that such negative development would more likely occur if the household and its members bolster such influences. Seeing through this angle of the topic, I believe that John Grisham has wrongly accused Hollywood for influencing or contributing to societal violence.
The Essay on Violence In Films
What place does violence have in the movies? Well, I believe that violence has a place in movies depending on the particular film and what the director of the film is trying to portray. If the director uses violence in his/her film and there isn't any reason behind it, then I would disagree and say that violence shouldn't be in THAT particular film. But in a movie like "Saving Private Ryan", ...
Films like Natural Born Killers may excite its audience, but it would most likely stay at this level – there seems to be no reason for it to go beyond the level of entertainment. However, if a member of the audience is already psychologically deranged or distorted, the film could trigger a certain desire to unleash repressed emotions unto society; that is, if the person is under such condition or has been brought up under such repressive influences.
Hence, I could not see the link on how films like Natural Born Killers could even create a violent mentality or trigger violence on a normal person who has most likely led a normal life. Reference Stone, O. (2007, August 15).
Memo to John Grisham: What’s Next – “A Movie Made Me Do It? ” Southeastern Louisiana University. Retrieved June 28, 2009, from http://www2. selu. edu/Academics/Faculty/scraig/stone. html.
