To be not ok with glorifying violence

[confusedmummy123]

Maybe this should be in the tv section. Although the TV series I'm going to ask about can be used as just an example.

Are people becoming desensitised to violence on TV? Am I in a minority for not being ok with this? Am I a fuddy duddy for thinking it is wrong to let young children watch violent things?
I am talking about Squid Game. The clips I have seen and things I have googled show it to be appalling and glorifying violence. Everyone else seems to love it though and I have even seen on forums people let their five year old DC watch it. Their response is that it is not real. Sadly though it can be. There are violent act that happen in the world all day and mass shootings which this programme shows. Do we want our young children being desensitised to this kind of thing?
I'm 36. I'm probably just being old fashioned!
Thoughts?

When people say things like “we are becoming desensitised to violence” when (and where) exactly are they measuring this from?

Are we now less sensitive to violence than when it was usual to openly carry weapons?

Are we less sensitive to violence than when we used to assemble in crowds to watch public beatings or hangings?

Are we less sensitive to violence than when an adult beating a child (or a man beating a woman) with a stick would have seemed utterly normal?

The perennial cry that things are somehow getting worse than they were at some unspecified point in the past wilfully ignores the fact that generally speaking the UK is a very safe place to live, and one where people are shocked by real life violence. That is part of why we explore the issues through drama and art.

Compare here and now to various points in history, or to more turbulent parts of the world where war is a terrible everyday reality, and the handwringing starts to look rather self- indulgent.

The series isn’t really about violence at all - it’s about human nature, psychology, relationships, and society. The violence is just part of the narrative structure through which those themes are - quite effectively - explored. And it’s what that exploration reveals about us that is more truly disturbing than a bit of blood...

The de-sensitising thing (speaking now about adults) well that's a personal thing isn't it?

If you sit and habitually watch gory violence (or porn or whatever) every night you will de-sensitise yourself to it. It will no longer have a shock value after a while. OP do you think the fact that some people might do this mean that these films shouldn't be ''allowed''? Genuine Q.

@Nesbo

When people say things like “we are becoming desensitised to violence” when (and where) exactly are they measuring this from?

Are we now less sensitive to violence than when it was usual to openly carry weapons?

Are we less sensitive to violence than when we used to assemble in crowds to watch public beatings or hangings?

Are we less sensitive to violence than when an adult beating a child (or a man beating a woman) with a stick would have seemed utterly normal?

The perennial cry that things are somehow getting worse than they were at some unspecified point in the past wilfully ignores the fact that generally speaking the UK is a very safe place to live, and one where people are shocked by real life violence. That is part of why we explore the issues through drama and art.

Compare here and now to various points in history, or to more turbulent parts of the world where war is a terrible everyday reality, and the handwringing starts to look rather self- indulgent.

Excellent post

yet there are plenty of little kids out dressed up in bloodied costumes come halloween. nobody bats an eyelid at dressing a 4 year old up as a zombie or whatever, with all the fake blood

they start being bloodthirsty quite young these days..

As many have pointed out, Squid Game definitely does NOT glorify violence, quite the opposite and it's not a children's show.

As to becoming desensitised, most of the data points to society becoming much LESS violent than in the past, so even if we're more comfortable watching pretend violence on tv, it isn't making us more violent in real life. Surely this is what actually matters?

You haven't even seen it

It doesn't glorify violence.

It's rated 15, children should not be watching.

I am always baffled by people holding such strong opinions about a tv series that they haven't even watched 📺

Does anyone agree with me however that as a society we are becoming desensitised to violence.

If that were the case, and I don't think it is, I'd point to 24hr rolling news coverage before I'd point to fictional violence with ketchup blood.

It's nothing new, public executions used to be a family event. Yeah 5yos probably shouldn't be watching Squid Game but that's down to the parents, not the program.

@Cuddlyrottweiler

I voted YABU because you clearly haven't watched it. It isn't glorifying violence. Quite the opposite. Showing violence isn't glorifying it. Should we never show bad things on TV for fear of "glorifying" it?

However. It is not suitable for young children.

This is what I was going to say. Also, I think that in general, we have become less tolerant to gratuitious violence in films. I think it was more "acceptable" for younger children to be watching horror films when I was a child than it is now.

Every animated cartoon is full of violence, where do you want begin to stopping it?

Also, I think that in general, we have become less tolerant to gratuitious violence in films. I think it was more "acceptable" for younger children to be watching horror films when I was a child than it is now.

Agreed. I cringe when I think of some of the things I watched as a child and can’t imagine my young nephews watching them now.

And as someone else pointed out, my parents’ generation were routinely smacked with slippers at home and whacked with canes at school, so that would point to us getting on the whole less violent, not more so.

I love a good zombie movie and can stomach watching people get torn to bits in those but I don’t think that means I’d be any less horrified if I saw such a thing in real life.

Part of the problem is that parents sometimes let their children watch unsuitable things.

Your example is a bad one because it is supposed to be shocking.

Where i draw the line - i won't watch it even though my family all like it - is things like Criminal Intent which serves only to dream up new and awful ways to torture women, mostly. It is ridiculous.

Scriptwriters seem to be losing the ability to put some well-placed violence to enhance a story, and instead just try to escalate something for shock value.

Same with sex. I'm sick of it. It is rarely, if ever, done well, and just wastes valuable viewing time.