Comments on: Arms race

By: Dave Bonta

Dave Bonta — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 21:21:57 +0000

In reply to Jean. Thanks for commenting. Yes, I think you're right about the importance of catharsis. Also, I should make clear that GOT wasn't necessarily the best or most grievous example of a violent TV show to make my argument — but then, I wasn't really making an argument, just musing out loud.

By: Jean

Jean — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 21:00:16 +0000

Yikes, outed in a secret vice. I think Dylan has a good point and I’m uncomfortable about it. But still I watch. I guess what I also think is that my life is full of frightening and mutilating things of a less tangible kind that I can scarcely cope with from day to day (both the pain and sadness of my personal failures and losses and the dreadful events seen and heard in the news media that are brought so close, but that we are entirely powerless over) and that violent, dramatic fictional stories have an important function as a cathartic metaphor for these. I guess the strong characterisation, terrific acting and high production values of GOT effectively hold my attention for sustained periods while I do that cathartic processing. Maybe. I dunno.

By: Dave Bonta

Dave Bonta — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 11:32:00 +0000

In reply to rr. I guess I'm less interested in the behavioral effects of video games than in the way that violent narratives in general might shape our sense of what's possible. It will be interesting to see who or what ultimately triumphs in GOT; part of what holds my own interest in the show is the way in which it serves as a very intense critique of power politics, in the same way that Clint Eastwood's film Unforgiven questioned the whole cowboy ethos. (And they each have a memorable scene of a guy being shot on the crapper.)

By: rr

rr — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 10:54:24 +0000

Hmm. I was deliberately concentrating hard on the knitting through the violence, don’t forget. And many of the gratuitous female full-frontals. It’s the politics, character development and relationships that interest me.

However your piece makes me realise there is little evidence of artistic endeavour, unless we count the costumes. And one very bad bard. Or, in the larger context, the series themselves, so beautifully filmed.

I imagine it’s possible that the taste for violence, as well as horror and the positively pornographic dwelling on suffering in the news media, have similar psychological roots and talk to our need to feel someone else is worse off than we are. And think of Bosch!

Re the effect of violent video games, the jury still appears to be out: http://mindhacks.com/2013/11/28/do-violent-video-games-make-teens-eat-and-cheat-more/