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Kalimac · 03-09-2002, 02:00 AM

Love HP - I don't really like comparing it to Tolkien, because they're written in such completely different veins; it's apples and oranges (to coin a phrase). They're both great in their own ways.<P>And I agree thrice over that blaming violence on the media says a lot more about the people who do the blaming than it does about the media (though I'm not defending the media in this completely either, to be honest I don't even own a television because there's so little worth watching, and there are a lot of things shown for shock value, not because they're necessary to a story). What's amazing about that whole issue is how people treat this as some sort of new phenomenon. "He saw a character get stabbed to death on TV, so OF COURSE he had to go out and try it." Well, if media violence is bad, how about 500 years ago when if you showed up early enough at Tyburn Road on execution day you could see three or four guys get strangled and disembowelled live, under government aegis no less. That had to do a lot more to your psyche than fictional violence ever could, but somehow there was never a rash of medieval defendants saying "Well, I thought if the King could do it, I could too!" Wonder why that was...<p>[ March 09, 2002: Message edited by: Kalimac ]

03-09-2002, 02:00 AM	#51
Kalimac Candle of the Marshes Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Flyover Country Posts: 780	Love HP - I don't really like comparing it to Tolkien, because they're written in such completely different veins; it's apples and oranges (to coin a phrase). They're both great in their own ways.<P>And I agree thrice over that blaming violence on the media says a lot more about the people who do the blaming than it does about the media (though I'm not defending the media in this completely either, to be honest I don't even own a television because there's so little worth watching, and there are a lot of things shown for shock value, not because they're necessary to a story). What's amazing about that whole issue is how people treat this as some sort of new phenomenon. "He saw a character get stabbed to death on TV, so OF COURSE he had to go out and try it." Well, if media violence is bad, how about 500 years ago when if you showed up early enough at Tyburn Road on execution day you could see three or four guys get strangled and disembowelled live, under government aegis no less. That had to do a lot more to your psyche than fictional violence ever could, but somehow there was never a rash of medieval defendants saying "Well, I thought if the King could do it, I could too!" Wonder why that was...<p>[ March 09, 2002: Message edited by: Kalimac ] __________________ Father, dear Father, if you see fit, We'll send my love to college for one year yet Tie blue ribbons all about his head, To let the ladies know that he's married.