Follow my blog as I reflect upon the presence of violence within various forms of pop culture--including television shows, music, novels, movies, and more.
As part of a fitness regime, I take a group exercise class called "Body Combat." It is a part of a group of classes choreographed, produced and distributed by the international fitness company Les Mills. These classes have grown in popularity over the past decade and are offered at most upscale gyms.
Body Combat is the empowering cardio workout where participants are taught a range of martial arts moves. This fiercely energetic program draws from a wide array of disciplines such as karate, boxing, taekwondo, tai chi and muay thai. Some of the moves are extremely violent in nature, such as the muay thai move called "kradot chok" or the cobra punch. In this move, the participant is in a deep sideways lunge and must pull their opposite arm up and back and punch downward forcefully. Whenever this move is done in class, the instructor always says in muay thai, the move is used with the intention of knocking someone out and then crushing their skull!
It occurred to me in this class today that these moves are, indeed, potentially violent if they were to be used in combat. But for me, I only inflict violence (unintentionally!) if someone is standing too close to me in class and I kick them...oops.
Here's a clip of the muay thai move, although these instructors aren't giving it 100%!
"Dexter" is one of those TV shows that I revert back to when my usual shows are on hiatus or have already had their season finale. It's the one I turn to when I have nothing left to catch up on and I'm utterly lacking for something to watch. I started "Dexter" was I was abroad in Spain, due to everyone in my group raving about this great show about a guy who "kills for good."
Skeptical, but more bored and desperate, I began watching the Sho-time hit. It felt very CSI, at first, considering Dexter Morgan works as blood spatter analyst for the Miami Police Department. However, he moonlights as a serial killer, hunting down guilty people who have killed without justifiable cause and are likely to do it again. He has an incessant need to kill and when he finally traps his victims, he strips them and constrains them in his kill room, which is lined with plastic tarp. Dexter also has a box of slides in which he saves all of his victims' blood.
My reason for not continuing "Dexter" on a regular basis was due to its highly violent nature. The killings were disturbing, as they were graphic. But, Dexter's pleasure he attains from killing was even more violent. The show portrays it in a macabre manner, sometimes even playing happy music as Dexter slices away at another victim. Interested in researching this show's reception, I Googled, "is Dexter too violent?" I found a link to an ABC news article depicting the story of a young boy who strangled his brother based upon what he saw on "Dexter." (http://abcnews.go.com/US/teen-enters-guilty-plea-dexter-inspired-killing/story?id=11624672&page=2 ) Clearly, this fervid fan took things too far, but it's even unbelievable that normal viewers feel themselves identifying with "Dexter," hoping he won't ever get caught. Who knows if I'll ever finish the series after reading that news article...?
Here's a violent montage of Dexter's killings from Season 1 to Season 4:
I recently finished reading the best-selling novel by Stieg Larsson The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I must admit, I saw the movie in theaters before I read the book. I went to see the movie with a friend over winter break, who failed to warn me about the seriously violent and disturbing rape scene in the film. To say I was shocked is an understatement. After the first two minutes of the scene, I had to avert my eyes. I remember looking around the theater and seeing the majority of other moviegoers doing the same. Despite the horribly graphic scenes, I thought the movie was very good; the plot was intriguing and the characters were dynamic. However, I couldn't seem to block out the horrific rape scenes.
After seeing the movie, I wanted to read the book. I assumed that I had certainly seen the worst, in regards to the violent scenes on screen. But, reading the rape scene was just as bad. Because of this, I was curious to read some reviews online about the matter of such serious violence in this novel/movie. First, I came across an interview on the Daily Mail UK website with actor Daniel Craig, who plays Mikael Blomkvist, expressing his opinions on the film. "...this is a $100 million R-rated movie. Nobody makes those anymore.' He also insists that David Fincher, who is directing the movie adaptation of Stieg Larsson's best selling thriller, is 'not holding back'. 'They've given him free rein,' he said.'He recently showed me some scenes, and my hand was over my mouth, going, 'Are you f***ing serious?' ''It's not that he simply showed me footage that was horribly graphic - it was stuff that was happening, or had happened. And somehow you don't see it. There's more than one way to sense violence. Much more powerful ways than seeing it step-by-step.' " (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2012256/Daniel-Craig-reveals-violent-scenes-The-Girl-With-The-Dragon-Tattoo-jaw-drop.html#ixzz1pCkj1S1N)
I was also interested to understand the view of the film from a feminist perspective, seeing as the violence was extremely misogynistic. I referred to a site, She Knows Entertainment, that is targeted to women. The film review began with a warning "Watching an act of injustice is ethically and emotionally tough to take. And why is that? Because when we see someone being mistreated who is otherwise helpless, we see our weaknesses as human beings. If you have no stomach for pain or suffering, rape, murder or random acts of violence, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is not the movie for you." (http://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/850669/movie-review-the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo)
Even though I am eager to see how the rest of the series pans out, I've heard that the next two novels are equally intense and violent. I may have to wait a little while, as my violent threshold is still on overload from the first!
"The Walking Dead" on AMC is one of the television shows I watch weekly. A bit out of my typical television genre, it was a friend who got me into the series. Being an avid fan of "Mad Men," also on AMC, I knew this network wasn't likely to disappoint me.
Based on the popular comic book series by the same title, "The Walking Dead" follows a group of survivors attempting to cope with life after a zombie apocalypse. The series, now in its second season, began by exhibiting a "slice of life" of protagonist and police officer Rick Grimes just as zombie apocalypse is starting. He is then shot and hospitalized, remaining in a serious coma. Once Rick comes to, he realizes that he is alone in an empty, defunct hospital. As he goes off in pursuit of his wife and son, as well as safety, he meets people along the way who explain the symptoms of the zombie "virus." It begins with a bite or scratch, then a fever that seemingly destroys all memories and activity in the brain with the exception of the motor skills and basic human instincts, such as hunger. Once the virus takes hold, these "walkers" are an extreme hazard for the living.
Naturally, this incurs a lot of violence within the plot of the show. The living characters typically kill the walkers because once they're infected, they cannot be saved--they're considered as good as dead. Therefore, the living kill walkers to ensure their own safety by shooting them in the head. This involves lots of blood and guts, making for a very violent and gory show. Just about every episode involves a casual killing of a walker, or several, sometimes even involving dismembering a walker. At first, the living characters struggle with the idea of killing mass amounts of walkers. But, as the show progresses, these survivors don't think twice about pulling the trigger, clearly unaffected by the act of killing.
With blood and guts aside, I think that "The Walking Dead" is a fantastic show. It's action packed, but also seeks to portray the dramatic struggle of the living characters grasping for shreds of humanity in a now inhumane world. In scenes involving walkers, I'm usually watching with one eye covered. Not to say I can't take the violence, I'm just jumpy when it comes to scary scenes. However, I also find that I get bored when there are several scenes in a row sans zombies. I wonder what this says about my tolerance and desensitization towards violence...
Here is the trailer for Season 1 of the show for those who are unfamiliar:
Here's a behind-the-scenes clip about the goriest scene the show has ever featured:
After a class discussion about the role that violence plays within pop culture, I wondered, how am I exposed to it through my media rituals? What television shows, movies, novels, music and various other elements pop culture that I follow present violent or graphic scenes or words? I decided to pursue a series of blog entries that will reflect upon the presence of violence in various forms of media that I engage with on a regular basis.
Other research indicates that media violence has not just increased in quantity; it has also become much more graphic, much more sexual, and much more sadistic. According to the Media Awareness Network, violence within the media has increase exponentially over the past decade. There is an increased prevalence of bloody fights, murders, sexually violent explicit scenes, as well as brutal representations of war. Furthermore, the idea of violence without consequences is also an issue that should be raised. "Less than 10 per cent of the TV shows, movies and music videos that were analyzed contextualized the violence or explored its human consequences. The violence was simply presented as justifiable, natural and inevitable -- the most obvious way to solve the problem" (http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/violence/violence_entertainment.cfm.)
Over the course of these reflections, I will exploring the violent elements within several popular television shows, movies, novels, Hollywood, and more.
