(December 15, 2024 at 2:51 pm)Angrboda Wrote: I was just noticing that while violence may not be the best path to power, it sure does comprise a lot of our entertainment in movies and television.
I don't know if it's really been increasing, or whether I just notice it more.
But A LOT of mainstream entertainment involves the depiction of violent killing as a source of aesthetic pleasure.
Some movies, like John Wick, make killing the whole subject. TV shows, like Reacher, teach us that all problems are solved through punching.
And of course it's pretty much a universal message that the hero of a show is the one who makes the most effective use of violence.
Partly I think this is a lowest-common-denominator thing. Solving problems through negotiation doesn't make for fun TV. Even Star Trek, where they have fantasy levels of technology, frequently climaxes with a fist fight.
But I also think it's partly intentional (and I realize here I'm verging on Conspiracy Theory). If we are conditioned to see and enjoy violence every day on the screen, we are more likely to accept it in real life. Every international problem has a military solution, etc.
