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American culture of violence and corruption.

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American culture of violence and corruption. Empty American culture of violence and corruption.

Post by Dennis324 Thu Jan 03, 2013 2:02 am

I read a very good article tonight that I wanted to share.

Author: Lisa Van Houten

The terrible tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School has shaken us individually and as a nation. Any parent or grandparent especially feels the horror of what happened when evil shot its way through that school.

“Rachel weepingfor her children,refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” (Matthew 3:18b)

Not since September 11, 2001 has our nation so collectively grieved. Across the nation people gathered to pray. Flags were flown at half-staff; impromptu memorials sprang up; the ubiquitous moment of silence was featured before Sunday football games.

And then there was the FOX Network with its own way of showing “respect” for this horrific action and loss of life.

Sunday night FOX typically airs its usual lineup of debauched animated shows – Family Guy, American Dad, The Cleveland Show. As we’ve stated before, when we monitor these shows we know what we’ll find. The specifics might vary, but the overall content remains the same. Rife with vulgar dialogue, extremely crude sexual themes, and sickening, bloody violence, each episode is a new variation of the same repulsive theme.

This past Sunday night, however, FOX announced the decision to cancel the scheduled episodes of Family Guy and American Dad.

Fox reportedly made the programming change “to avoid airing what might be considered "sensitive content” so soon after the violence that snuffed out the lives of 20 little children and seven adults.

Translation: The episodes scheduled to air had such graphic violence, common to these two shows, that the network was worried about backlash from viewers and advertisers.

Which begs the question, why is okay for FOX to air such violent garbage 51 weeks of the year, but just not after a national tragedy?

The original episodes scheduled to air were entitled: "Jesus, Mary and Joseph!" from Family Guy and "Minstrel Krampus" from American Dad.

One thing we know about the cancelled American Dad episode is that it featured a demon that punished naughty children at Christmas. And based on the title, I’m sure the Family Guy episode was bent on mocking Christ. Seth MacFarlane, the creator of these shows and an avowed atheist, has a history of focusing his most offensive material against Christianity.

While FOX did cancel these episodes of “Family Guy” and “American Dad,” they replaced them with – wait for it – reruns of the same shows!

So instead of what was scheduled, Family Guy aired content such as this:

- A baby eats “yellow” snow which had been urinated on by a dog – being told its lemon-flavored snow.

- A woman plays a saxophone with her vagina while engaging in phone sex

- Elderly men are bashed in the head with baseball bats

- September 11, 2001 is mocked

- During a phone conversation with his elderly mother, viewers hear Peter, the main character, tell his mother:

“You’re staying in the nursing home! I don’t care! I DON’T CARE! Believe me, no one is touching you in your sleep – because you’re gross! And even if they are, who are you saving yourself for?

These are just a few examples from Sunday night’s episode. Yet, FOX deems this material acceptable week after week – including sickening violence that is no less gruesome just because it’s animated.

Col. David Grossman, a former West Point psychology professor, Professor of Military Science, and an Army Ranger, is a leading expert addressing our understanding of killing in war, the psychological costs of war, and the root causes of the current "virus" of violent crime that is raging around the world. He authored “On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society” and his works also include: Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill: A Call to Action Against TV, Movie and Video Game Violence.

The summary of “Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill” states in part:

“There is perhaps no bigger or more important issue in America at present than youth violence. Jonesboro, Arkansas; Paducah, Kentucky; Pearl, Mississippi; Stamps, Arkansas; Conyers, Georgia; and of course, Littleton, Colorado. We know them all too well, and for all the wrong reasons: kids, some as young as eleven years old, taking up arms and, with deadly, frightening accuracy, murdering anyone in their paths. What is going on? According to the authors of Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill, there is blame to be laid right at the feet of the makers of violent video games (called "murder trainers" by one expert), the TV networks, and the Hollywood movie studios--the people responsible for the fact that children often witness literally hundreds of violent images a day.

“Authors Lt. Col. Dave Grossman and Gloria DeGaetano offer incontrovertible evidence, much of it based on recent major scientific studies and empirical research, that movies, TV, and video games are not just conditioning children to be violent--and unaware of the consequences of that violence--but are teaching the very mechanics of killing. Their book is a much-needed call to action for every parent, teacher, and citizen to help our children and stop the wave of killing and violence gripping America's youth….”

Will FOX and Seth McFarlane’s consciences be pricked regarding the culture of violence they’re contributing to? I highly doubt it. As long as they can rake in money by producing this filth, they will continue to do so. The only thing that trumps MacFarlane’s license to offend is Fox’s quest to make money. Fearing advertiser and viewer backlash led Fox to cancel these two episodes.

But what about the episodes that air next? Fox has no qualms about spewing the filth of Family Guy and American Dad over the airwaves and many advertisers have no problem with sponsoring it. As Fox has demonstrated, money talks. And that is the Achilles Heel of advertisers and of Fox. Letting them know they have lost a customer (or a viewer) may be the only thing that will get their attention.

A lot of people (even so-called Conservatives) oppose any regulation of the entertainment industry and will virtually crucify anyone who suggests it. But more and more we are seeing some pretty smart folks agree that tv and film media does actually desensitize us to certain things. I think the entertainment industry needs to be more strongly regulated than they are.
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Post by Dennis324 Mon Jan 14, 2013 4:53 pm

No matter what you think about the political issue of gun control, we must look at the problem of violence in our country from all angles. Violent media impacts our children in negative ways, and must be part of any national discussion.

American culture of violence and corruption. CBS_zpsb1f777bf
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American culture of violence and corruption. Empty Violent media poisoning nation's soul

Post by Dennis324 Mon Jan 14, 2013 5:08 pm

We enter 2013 with the sickening, dispiriting events in Newtown, Conn., still fresh in mind and yet without much conviction that anything can be done to prevent such future horrors. Obviously, the overriding issue is that we have a gun problem in the United States and a political climate that has been, at least until now, too timid to do anything about it.

But we also have a culture problem, and we know this. We know, because though Newtown shocked us and stopped us in our tracks and continues to haunt our imaginations, it did not surprise us.

If the Newtown killings were an act of terrorism, the whole country would be mobilized to protect itself from the Other. But this felt like something from within, not just from within our borders, but from within the soul of the nation. And in talking about matters of the soul, our cultural gatekeepers have been just as timid as our politicians.

Fourteen years ago, Lt. Col. Dave Grossman and Gloria DeGaetano, in "Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill," were warning us about the effects of violent video games and movies on young and impressionable minds. They compared the games that kids play to the conditioning that soldiers and Marines get in order to desensitize them to killing. They pointed out that by the time children reach adulthood they have witnessed hundreds of thousands of simulated violent deaths and have come to associate witnessing death and mayhem with pleasure.

That same book contained an introduction by then-President Bill Clinton, pleading with filmmakers and game makers to self-censor in the interest of children. That plea went unheeded, if it was noticed at all.

The interaction between real-life and movies is complicated. Some will claim that movies influence behavior, even as producers will invariably insist that movies only reflect society, as though movies were some unobtrusive aspect of culture, unnoticed by the world.

The truth is that movies and society influence each other in ways that overlap and are therefore arguable. But clearly something seems to be going on, and something is in need of changing.

This was a pretty decent article on the issues of media and violence in our morally corrupted nation. However I think the author is a little bit naive when she suggests that censorship will not help. She claims censorship is morally wrong.

I dont. Though in a perfect world, we might be able to rely on parents to change the channel (assuming there was good alternate programming available), the hard cold facts are that Parents are just not that involved with their kids! Most parents are overworked. Both have to work now and we cannot rely on mom staying at home to ensure our kids are raised properly anymore. She's got to get out and bust her hump to help pay the bills today just like dad! So tv and internet is now the babysitter. And studio moguls dont care! They care about ratings, not morality. And kids are not mature enough in most cases to ...change the channel and send a message to the studios.

Thus, if we want to change our culture, we have to stop chanting "let parents change the channel". Sometimes govt DOES have a responsibility to the ...education of our kids. And make no mistake, MTV and Family Guy is educating your kids. These kids grow up and become parents...who let their kids view questionable media. And so on until we get to where we are today. People have little or no respect for authority figures, parents, teachers, law enforcement...or themselves.
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Post by Bryant Mon Jan 14, 2013 6:53 pm

I think this misses the point and comes off way too Tipper Gore. I fail to see how sexuality, foul language, or the Krampus (not a demon, part of many Alpine Christmas traditions where he is a counterpart to Saint Nicholas). So far as I can tell the article was the same kind of nonsense Huckabee was trying to peddle.

I think the problem has a lot to do with how our society views guns (and thus how our society makes guns more dangerous than they aught to be). We equate firearms with masculinity and strength. What is the profile of most of these spree killers? Who are their targets? I don't think the solution need involve curtailing the first amendment (nor erasing the second), but rather deromanticizing firearms.
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Post by Marconius Mon Jan 14, 2013 8:32 pm

Posted this in another thread.

Reagan shooter was influenced by: Taxi Driver
LA bank robbers were influenced by: Heat
Deltona massacre was influenced by: Wonderland
Almost every street thug pays homage to Tony Montana: Scarface

These are off the top of my head. There are many more. Evidence shows however, movies and media plays no role in influencing those with a healthy mind. They do however suggest, not prove mind you, that they desensitize and influence those with questionable mental health.
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Post by Dennis324 Tue Jan 15, 2013 1:01 am

Bryant wrote:I think this misses the point and comes off way too Tipper Gore. I fail to see how sexuality, foul language, or the Krampus (not a demon, part of many Alpine Christmas traditions where he is a counterpart to Saint Nicholas). So far as I can tell the article was the same kind of nonsense Huckabee was trying to peddle.

I think the problem has a lot to do with how our society views guns (and thus how our society makes guns more dangerous than they aught to be). We equate firearms with masculinity and strength. What is the profile of most of these spree killers? Who are their targets? I don't think the solution need involve curtailing the first amendment (nor erasing the second), but rather deromanticizing firearms.
Good point. Smile

LEt me try to clarify my point when I speak of a corrupted, violent culture. To me, this is a secondary and mostly unrelated issue than that of guns or our gun culture. To me it, rather than clinging to our guns, is waaaay more destructive than assalt rifles or whatever.

When I speak of the media and our corrupted culture, I'm drawing a lot from my own experiences growing up and comparing that to news reports I have read over the years.

I read news articles in the past where there is a large number of incidents where kids got caught havng sex in a classroom while the teacher was out. Or teachers complaining about the way kids talk to them, telling them to go to hell or calling them a bitch, or stuff like that.

Inb the mid-70s when I was a teenager, we wouldnt DREAM of speaking to a teacher that way. I'm not saying this sort of stuff didnt occasionally happen. We've sene films like blackboard jungle and understand that school violence and disrespect did occur. But it was unheard of where I grew up.

Why? Why did this happen elsewhere and not at my school? There was nothing particularly special about my school. The principal wasnt tyrranical...he was an ex basketball coach we called 'Smiley Joe" coz he grinned all the time and his pants were too short. Lol! And we liked him! And there were teachers we loathed too! Same as anywhere I guess. But I would never have called Mrs Banks a bitch...not to her face. I'd never have raised a hand to her and I dont know anyone in school who would.

Boy kids dont seem to think twice about doing it today though. A lot of kids are rude to their teachers now. And dont get me statistics about how school violence was worse way back when. I aint buying it. I'm sure any of you can do a quick search and find many instances to show this.

Why my focus on schools and kids? Because hese children are learning this behaviour from somewhere. Do their parents teach them to be rude to the teachers? Maybe. More likely though, the rudeness, arrogance, disrespect and hatefulness comes from elsewhere.

The Numbers
- 2/3 of children in the United States have television sets in their bedrooms.
- Children watch about 28 hours of television a week.
- Children spend more time watching television than time spent in school.
- Children spend more time watching television than in any other activity except sleep.
- Television reaches children at a younger age and for more time than any other socializing institution except the family
- More and more homes have multiple TVs, meaning children have greater opportunity to view programs without parental consent or supervision.
- By age 18, a U.S. youth will have seen 16,000 simulated murders and 200,000 acts of violence. American Psychiatric Association
- In a national opinion poll conducted for TV Guide (8/2/03), 57% of TV viewers said they 'noticed an increase in offensive material on television lately.

Internet: The New Frontier

- More than 31% of children surveyed (ages 10 -17) report having seen a pornographic site on the Internet.
50% of teens (aged 3-18) frfequently communicate online with someone they've never met in person
- 37% have received a link to sexually explicit content

So imo, maybe, just maybe Tipper Gore had a point. Tipper was motivated to activism because she heard her then 11-year-old daughter playing "Darling Nikki" by Prince. If you've heard this song...it has some questionable lyrics (though sadly tame by todays comparison).

And I'm not trying to hold Tipper up to be all knowing and right on everything. Her group made some mistake I think. But basically I think she had a good point.

Why do we so often blame parents when kids do bad things? Because parents are supposed to teach our kids how to behave and be productive good people. What happens when the parents arent there to teach the kids? Kids will get it somewhere else. Using the above stats, you can see that most kids get most of their info from the media.

Many kids and teens grew up watching MTV. I believe MTV airs shows which depict excessive sexual, profane, and violent content. Maybe once a long time ago it wasnt so bad, but all that has changed.

Family Guy is apopulara tv show aired during prime time on broadcast tv. The Federal Communications Commission has received multiple petitions requesting that the show be blocked from broadcasting on indecency grounds. Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker and the PTC have both accused the show of portraying religion negatively, and of being racist. And let me tell you...it is. Of course Seth McFarland is a Militant athiest. Meaning he goes out of his way to take shots at and ridicule faith or morality. Of course he tries to hide behind that tired old mantra... its just a cartoon show. Yeah.

But its more than just programs like this. Even sitcoms aired during prime time have problems. Take the show 2 broke girls. Comes on at 9 PM eastern on CBS. This series prides itself on being “edgy.” There are constant sexual references, including breast and vagina references, orgasm jokes, allusions to masturbation, and kinky sex between the cook, Oleg, and the girls’ neighbor, Sophie. Foul language used in the program includes: “freaking,” “ass,” “damn,” “whore,” “ho,” “bitch,” “skank,” and “piss.”

And sometimes we wonder why kids will say this to one another or to their teachers? Why boys walkk around with their pants around their knees and girls act and dress like sluts and have no respect for themselves? If they dont respect themselves, will they respect anyone else? And parents, who are overworked, exhausted and just plain beat when they come home...do they have time to ensure the kids are watching something more appropriate? Or do they just check out?

Speaking of parents...a long time ago, back before the early 60s...maybe the 50s and before, mom stayed at home. She raised the kids. Dad's job was to go out and work, pay the bills, make sure they had food and shelter. Then women started working. Some because of women's lib. Most because of the economy. Women HAVE to work now. Mom and dad both have to work in most cases. Sometimes 2 and 3 jobs. So now who has the time or energy to raise the kids now?

So...with this happening, who's babysitting the kids? Many children come home before the parent gets off work. And they are glued to tv. Or the internet. With no parental oversite. How in the world is a parent gonna change the channel (as much of hollywood would suggest) if mom and dad are at work?

Ever hear the phrase 'Garbage in-garbage out'? It is used primarily to call attention to the fact that computers will unquestioningly process the most nonsensical of input data ("garbage in") and produce nonsensical output ("garbage out").

Well this works in life too. If you surround yourself with garbage, smut, violent entertainment, it will affect your values and judgement. This is Psych 101 folks.

This is why I have said that since mom and dad cant change the channel, since they cant control what their kid is watching, I feel that the only alternative if for govt to do it. Because these children grow up fast. And they vote. And they raise children of their own...likely to be kids who dont care if their classmate is picked on or beaten up. Maybe a few become so desensitized and detached and burdened with anger issues that they steal mom's guns and go shoot up a school.

And that...my friends, is the real problem.
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