But That's Entertainment

It seems like today we can't even watch the evening news without learning of an act of violence that occurred not very far from our own neighborhoods.  And while we sympathize with the victims of these violent acts, violence seems to occur so often that it would seem strange for there to be an evening where the only reports we hear on the evening news would be about charity events and sports.  Violence also plays a key role in the basis for numerous non-cable television shows such as the Law and Order franchise and one of my favorite TV shows, Southland.  And while the consequences of violent acts are almost always shown, we are still repeatedly exposed to/ exposing ourselves to violence through a media outlet that many families keep on in the background during dinner time.

While many of us hang our heads and talk about what a shame it is whenever an atrocious violent act is committed, for some reason there is something that still attracts us to entertainment media that contains fictionalized violence.  Maybe it is our desire to understand that draws us to media that portrays fictionalized violence.  I mentioned earlier that one of my favorite TV shows is Southland, which is about a group of fictional officers and detectives of various ages, experiences, and backgrounds who work in the LAPD.  The show prides itself on presenting a realistic image of violence and crime and how these issues are dealt with by law enforcement.  Besides the good writing, the main aspect of the show that attracts me is that different characters give their interpretations of why these violent acts were committed and why they continue to happen.  There's just something fascinating about hearing the different views each character has considering their background.  And while I have to remind myself that the show is fictional, many of the characters' thoughts on the reasons for continued violence in the world ring true to reality.  We as a society are fascinated by violence and the reasons for the perpetuation of violence, because even though we are often exposed to real life violent acts, we continue to flock to numerous other media outlets that contain fictionalized violence as forms of entertainment.  The search for understanding may not be the only reason that we are attracted to media, and in my case namely television shows that contain violence, but the more often we expose ourselves to situations containing violence, whether they be real or imagined, the more normative the actions, but not necessarily the severity of the consequences, become to us.

Looking forward to hearing from Kelsey tomorrow!