#violencedebate

When is violence accepted? How real is it? - does it look real, is it realist, cartoon are more unreal How serious is it? - is someone being bitten to death Is it unpunished? - maybe violence is serious but person is not punished, that is not acceptable Is it fun or heroic? - is it just meant to be fun e.g. cartoon, or heroic The media sometimes show violent representation in texts, because this makes the text close to reality. We are so over exposed to violence that we don't take notice or care anymore. 

Video game violence

Activity: GTA Investigate one of the listed games and decide if the violence is:

Cartoon style or realistic

Punished or unpunished

Serious or fun

1:31 

Realistic and serious although some might find it fun in the sense that they enjoy running over people and throwing them off cliffs

hyper-reality (Baudrillard)

absences presence - no male prostitutes

FPS: first person shooter, more problematic because more realistic

Potter - theorist which concluded a series of questions to help us evaluate a violent event represented in the media

Who is causing the violence?

Who is the victim?

Is it presented as though it's justified? Is there a reason? 

Are the consequences portrayed? e.g. if there is no blood then its not realistic

Is it represented as normative(OK) or odious(offensive)? 

There's a link between violence and masculinity; mostly boy gamers. 

Some argue that violent games are a response to a feeling of lack of control - biggest demographic is teenagers and below thus younger audiences.The reasons teenagers play is because its a really hard time, time of rebellion, suddenly have opinion and there's always a conflict, don't have control over your life - therefore in computer games they capitalize on this powerlessness especially free form (e.g. GTA) narratives which gives you complete control over narrative - sense of power works with younger audience.

Activity: Choose a film that contains violent imagery. Respond to Potter's questions and state how the text contributes to our understanding of the world.

Terminator:

Terminator, Arnold

Usually a few people; Terminator is assigned to kill them

No, there seems to be no reason behind the killings

No consequences usually 

very offensive, alot of violence and killing innocent people

Hyper reality - Baudrillard

Correlation:

Taking a critical perspective. According to Potter, we need to evaluate a violent event represented i the media

Who is causing the violence?

Who is the victim?

Is it presented as though its justified?

Are there consequences portrayed?

Is it represented as normative or odious

Some argue that violent games are a response to a feeling of lack of control-thus younger audience

Sanitizing violence

Gitlin argues what is sometimes not there is more important than what is: consider Hussein’s execution. There is also the criticism that wars are not represented accurately- in newspapers there are hardly graphic violent image. What perspective is like to be presented in war reporting?

  Consider this:

When is violence legitimate? (by who/how/why)

Whose version of reality do these representations convey?

How can these representation be challenged 

Computer games and violence (coursework)

Video games genres:

platformer

shooter

FPS - first person shooter

adventure

sports

dance

hybrid

first person shooter

simulation

strategy

puzzle game

RPG - role playing game

casual games e.g. wii

MMORPG - massively multiplier online role playing games e.g. World of Warcraft

MOBA - multiplexer online battlefield e.g. League of Legends

Representations and ideology

focus on conflict; player vs enemy

often based on war-scenarios

enemy is usually who is not american

westernized - demonizes enemy, other side, very problematic

Activity: Good vs Bad Debate whether WoW has a negative or positive influence on players. Choose one side, collect your arguments and get ready to defend your position in class.

How 9/11 Changed the media landscape

If violence is generally sanitized, 9/11 is an exception

Second plane was live on TV - violent representation

People jumping out - falling man photo

What makes the video real? Diegetic sounds

Narrative evolved after 9/11; the heroes trying to restore equilibrium and shifting focus away from suffering people so it becomes something we can handle 

Turning point in media - people dying on US ground

Happening on live TV - ethical questions, shock

Why was anyone stopping it? 

Patriot Act 

Shows/Films representing NY edited twin towers out of scenes. Films represented NY in more complex, less carefree way, very distopian. The day after tomorrow - How is New York represented? Catastrophic, cant be undone, these representations changes after 9/11. After 9/11, movies show that New York is catastrophic, full of destruction

How Representation changed

Us vs them mentality: the western world vs terrorism (threat to democracy)

A constructionist perspective would perceive the 'war on terror' as a product of media representations, media language and political discourse - right after 9/11 alot of patriotic films that challenged US

Rendition movie - us vs them mentality - US has power to spy on people without any rights, criticize US after 9/11

11'09'01 - Claude Lelouch

11'09'01 - Sean Penn

dome/low key

absence of love/love is complex

desperation - helpless

sense of futility - pointless

loneliness/isolation 

9/11 becomes important milestone - affects their lives directly

LOSS - cant cope with it, in total denial

disorientation/disjointed (nonlinear) /out of touch with reality - jumps cuts in editing, non consecutive 

Activity: What may are some of the difficulties raised? Argue for the strengths of the films? What would you create? Pitch your film idea. 

Mad Men intro controversy:

modality - distancing itself from real life, CGI animation disconnects it from reality therefore they can get away with showing it

feminism - women men relations very different at the time

Are new media the answer? Al Jazeera, Liveleak, the Baghdad Blogger (when conflict started he posted news, media went to blog post and got information) - all these provide an alternative perspective, wanted to shut him down.