Moral Standards: Sex vs Violence

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Minor Axis

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Last night we were watching a show on SciFi called Dark Corners. It did not hold our interest but it was about this girl having bad dreams/visions. In one of these visions there was a church with a naked woman laid out on the alter who had been bloodily murdered. I noticed she was in a body suit. Then in a matter of seconds later a graphic depiction of someone getting their throat cut, watching the flesh separate as the blade passed.

What is society's hang up with the naked body? What kind of standard allows the showing of the most graphic violence, but we can't show a female breast, because that is lewd? This standard bleeds over into many parents views. It's ok for Johnny to see a war movie with graphic injuries, but heaven forbid he see any graphic depictions of sex.

Is it because as a standard we are not worried that Johnny will become addicted to violence, but he might become addicted to sex?

Even in video games it's ok for Johnny to blow people up in a war game, but OMG, can't have Johnny playing the Hot Coffee mod in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (an R rated sex mini-game).

There was a case where this grandmother was going to sue Rock Star Games because she bought GTA:San Andreas for her grand child. Get this, the package was marked "Mature" for violence sexual themes. If you're not familiar, you play a kid from the hood, who lives a life of robbery, and murder of innocent people. Actually you decide whom to kill, but in some circumstances it's just easier to pull the trigger. So this concept is ok with the Grandmother. But when word hits the media of the Hot Coffee Mod, she has a fit. My god, a sex game! Anyone else see a disconnect here?

I realize that some conservative groups have attacked depictions of violence in video games. I have no problem with restrictions on kids, but they want to ban violence in games for everyone. The Columbine High School killers were accused of being motivated to kill because they played Doom. Well if they were readers, they might have been accused of going on a killing spree for any number of novels such as your average Stephen King story. Whole sale censorship is a very slippery slope. If you start banning video games, next you can look at movies and books.

So is this a U.S. moral standard, a U.S. media standard, or both? We've got some serious hang ups when it comes to sexual depictions compared to most other countries and what they allow to be broadcast on public TV.
 
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Sdrawkcab

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"You know America was founded by Prudes. Prudes who left Europe, because they hated all the kinky, steamy European sex that was going on"
 

lumpenstein

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That has allways bothered me too. Canada is a country of vast differences. Out here in Alberta is Canada's bible belt, settled the way America was, with persecuted Puritans, where carnal knowledge was a sin. Our strict laws concerning nudity and sex stem from our religious-based heritage, at that includes most Americans.

On that note there is an anomaly in Canada concerning moral codes. I was born and raised in Quebec, Montreal to be more precise. The province is mostly devout French Catholics but there things are very diferent. Quebec was the heart of a new land, as the New England States were for America. The big difference was social, geographical and economical. Wheres the New Englanders were stay at home agricultural people, tied to the land and the church, The French settlements were driven primarily by the fir trade, first the Courers de Bois then the Voyagers would leave by the hundreds by canoe on yoyages that would last up to 18 months through unknown territory populated by Natives that weren't all that happy having these strangers stomping all over their hunting grounds. Being vastly outnumbered, the French had no choice but to cooperate economically with them. They also had to adopt their ways and live off the land in order to survive the gruelling trip.

When these fur traders finally landed back home in Montreal they blew their newfound wealth on debauchery - wine, women and song. This was all shocking and scandalous, especially to the clergy, but after hundreds of years (Montreal was founded in 1638, Quebec City in 1608) it became interwoven into the culture and lifestyle of Nouvelle France. Montreal is famed for its nightlife while remaining strongly tied to the church. You can go to many intersections in Quebec and find a church on one cormer, while the other three will have two bars and a strip club!
 

lumpenstein

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"You know America was founded by Prudes. Prudes who left Europe, because they hated all the kinky, steamy European sex that was going on"

Well, that's putting it a bit crudely but there is a kernel of truth in it. Europe has more relaxed social codes than North America. Montreal is more a European city than one of this continent.
 

Alien Allen

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thanks for the history Lumpy. To a lesser degree in Michigan there are different standards. In the Detroit area lap dances became popular at strip clubs where as the west side of the state there is a strict no touch rule. kind of silly.

one can also throw swearing into the mix Minor

heaven forbid somebody say shit or show a boob but go ahead and slit a throat and it is ok.

oh well

damn religious right morons that drive the bus.
 

Strauss

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BTW, this notion that the US was settled by Puritans is way off the mark. The first settlers were corporate employees and entrepreneurs. The Puritans represented a very very small percentage of those who came to the US. It would be like saying Australia only got settled by criminals.
 

Zorak

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BTW, this notion that the US was settled by Puritans is way off the mark. The first settlers were corporate employees and entrepreneurs. The Puritans represented a very very small percentage of those who came to the US. It would be like saying Australia only got settled by criminals.

Both are funny and true! :D

:sarcasm
 

Sdrawkcab

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BTW, this notion that the US was settled by Puritans is way off the mark. The first settlers were corporate employees and entrepreneurs. The Puritans represented a very very small percentage of those who came to the US. It would be like saying Australia only got settled by criminals.


It was a quote from a film, sry if it offended you
 

Boomer

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"You know America was founded by Prudes. Prudes who left Europe, because they hated all the kinky, steamy European sex that was going on"


America was founded by people that didnt want to be persecuted for their religeous beliefs. Least, thats why the pilgrims came here.

Off the subject, we may be prude, but my country can kick your country's ass.
 

lumpenstein

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BTW, this notion that the US was settled by Puritans is way off the mark. The first settlers were corporate employees and entrepreneurs. The Puritans represented a very very small percentage of those who came to the US. It would be like saying Australia only got settled by criminals.

It was my failure to qualify my statement. At no time did I intend to imply that America was settled exclusively by Puritans but the people that did settle had a stricter interpretation of the bible than the Canadian settlers. It was the influx of mostly English, Scot and Irish settlers after 1763 that and the second wave of immigration from Europe after the building of our national railway that stricter religious moral codes developped here, especially in the newly opened west. This province celebrated its Centennial only three years ago.
 

Boomer

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It was my failure to qualify my statement. At no time did I intend to imply that America was settled exclusively by Puritans but the people that did settle had a stricter interpretation of the bible than the Canadian settlers. It was the influx of mostly English, Scot and Irish settlers after 1763 that and the second wave of immigration from Europe after the building of our national railway that stricter religious moral codes developped here, especially in the newly opened west. This province celebrated its Centennial only three years ago.

Im just fuckin wit ya man. :D
 

Minor Axis

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"You know America was founded by Prudes. Prudes who left Europe, because they hated all the kinky, steamy European sex that was going on"

Light comes on! :D

you know there's somewhere in america where the butt sex is still illegal.

So if you miss by an inch, you may be in violation! ;)

I just wonder about a standard for parents where blood and guts violence is ok, but sexuality of all most any kind is forboten...
 

siasl

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So if you miss by an inch, you may be in violation! ;)
that quacked me up :thumbup

I just wonder about a standard for parents where blood and guts violence is ok, but sexuality of all most any kind is forboten...
well, if you accept that we are a country supported by a competitively militaristic government, and that we "fear" that violent, amoral video games distance our children from from compassion, then "glorifying violence" and making the human body taboo starts to makes a whole lot of sense, imo :ninja
 

Alien Allen

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that quacked me up :thumbup



well, if you accept that we are a country supported by a competitively militaristic government, and that we "fear" that violent, amoral video games distance our children from from compassion, then the movie rating system makes a whole lot of sense. :ninja
what the :eek

you must be longing for the 60's :D

damn hippie :D
 

siasl

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what the :eek

you must be longing for the 60's :D

well, no....but it's probably true that you'd have to have taken a lot of drugs to see the truth in the connection :nod:

see....it's the "commie pinko scumbags" of america who see our gov as militaristically opprotunistic.....and it's the "fascist relgious wackjobs" of the right who think that video games promote violence, and that naked people are the pied pipers of moral degradation.....

where those two trains of thought coincide is what this thread is about.....

never mind (sigh)....have another beer bill :24:
 

Peter Parka

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Got to admit, I was shocked to find out mainstream USA stations dont show tits after the 9 o'clock watershed, whats that all about?
 
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