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Is Quentin Tarantino part of the violence problem?

January 11, 2013 @ 12:41 pm (Updated: 5:17 am - 1/14/13 )

 

With his new Academy-Award nominated, ultra-violent hit film, "Django Unchained" storming the theaters, Quentin Tarantino has become case-in-point when it comes to the prevalence of violence in entertainment. While much of the media debate has been on gun control, there is also the question of how much responsibility filmmakers (and audiences) have for the violence in our culture due to the popular entertainment pumped out and consumed by Hollywood and the video game industry.

Two recent columns have specifically hit Tarantino. The first pointed out the incredible success of Tarantino's films, while the second concludes that Tarantino IS at least a part of the problem. Author Jim Bennett concludes that art such as Tarantino's may not be the primary cause for psychopathic violence, but it surely influences behavior. His stance will likely be seen as semi-controversial, but it's a manufactured controversy.

We all know that what we watch and what we listen to affects behavior. That's why businesses advertise. It's why you smile at a happy song or bang your head to a rockin' tune. It's why Top Gun sold a LOT of sunglasses and why a beer company paid millions to have Daniel Craig as Bond drink their brand. What we take in, changes us. It does not control our actions, but it influences them.

Our culture once knew this. It's a biblical principle.

It doesn't mean that Tarantino is uniquely responsible for violence in our culture. And frankly, I don't think all violence in entertainment is evil (can you really say that if the death toll in Saw 4 were the same as the deaths seen in Saving Private Ryan that both films were equally prone to encourage social ills?)

But if we acknowledge the influence we acknowledge a moral responsibility-- maybe that's why we pretend there's NO influence.

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  • It's me! Ha ha! wrote...
    The Fascist Jackass Would Then Also be...
    January 14, 2013 7:18 am
    And when that little leftist utterance does not work you can always blame it on Bush!
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  • sambra27 wrote...
    violence in movies, video game, etc.
    January 14, 2013 12:18 pm

    I agree with your moral responsibility statement, Dave. How, though, might we put into effect measures to mitigate entertainment-based violence? MPAA already has it's rating system, and some stores will ask for ID if a game with an "MA" rating is being purchased. Those are important steps, but maybe expanding on that so you have to be older than 18 to purchase those games? Perhaps expanding the rating system to make violent movies less likely to receive an "R" rating over an "NC-17" rating.

    The above represents what could be a long-term solution. If the discussion is staying on entertainment violence, then it is indoctrination and desensitization of children that is the problem. This stuff needs to be less accessible to children. And while we are at it, ban networks like MTV, TLC and BRAVO so that children don't grow up to think that materialism and plastic surgery are the most important things in life

    Short term, the discussion almost has to be on gun control and HOW we can put together a plan to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. No "cash for guns" program, etc...we need a quantifiable plan that can address this. How can higher death tolls be mitigated? In schools - arm the teachers. Sure. Automatic and semi-automatic weapons and large magazine bans? Sure. There are numerous other possibilities that could help

    Also, in no way am I saying that addressing violence on TV, etc. is less important, I just think that addressing gun "control" measures is more appropriate right now.

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  • Sashadog wrote...
    Hey Dave
    January 14, 2013 4:58 pm
    Why don't you throw out a challenge to our fine actors and actresses in Hollywierd. Ask those that insist in a gun ban and a chanage, that they sign a contract promising to never work in a film with gun or other violence. Start with George Clooney.
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  • sambra27 wrote...
    sashadog
    January 14, 2013 8:47 pm
    That's almost word for word what Medved suggested on his blog...
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  • It's me! Ha ha! wrote...
    Left wing Parrots
    January 15, 2013 6:13 am
    So what do you people think will happen should your Dear Leader get his gun bans? No more massacre's? Or just no more guns? Or REVENGE!!

    Any of you Obama supporters ever thought this out this far?

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  • ddwhitney wrote...
    Quentin Tarantino surprised me....
    January 15, 2013 11:35 am
    In another interview that Quentin eluded to, he surprised me by taking what I would consider a somewhat "conservative" view that people need to consider the individual criminals that commit the crime and not punish law abiding citizens who have not done anything wrong. Personal Responsibility. There was a law suit against the band "Judas Priest" because some young men committed suicide. The court determined that if the music was directly responsible for the suicides then we would have seen the number of suicides closer to the number of albums sold. If the movies we watch were responsible for "teaching" a behavior, we would see more incidences similar to the Sandy Hook tragedy along the number of viewer of the movies, or player of the video games etc... Only those people who have serious mental problems would correlate a video game, movie or any other audio visual stimuli, with real life or death scenarios. We are already watching politicians trying to reduce individual liberty and collective freedom of US citizens because of the actions of a few people. I don't agree with Quentin very often, but he is right. Movies are meant as an escape from reality, to watch good and evil battle to the end with good ultimately overcoming the evil. At one time Rome held violent plays and had Gladiators battle to the death in public, but how many of the thousands of spectators who witnessed these events, felt compelled to act out similar actions on their neighbors? Spectators should not be punished for the behaviors of the participant. Society should not be punished for the behavior of the individual. If we allow that to happen we have invited fascism.
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  • irony wrote...
    YES...
    January 15, 2013 3:02 pm
    because the violence is over the top. real life makes you sick to your stomach not give you an adrenaline rush. and with teens watching it shapes thier mind to confuse reality with fantasy so that when in reality their feelings are disjointed and they don't know when to stop.
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  • hpitantso wrote...
    Yes
    January 15, 2013 11:03 pm
    He offers violence in exchange for money
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