Don't fuck with me, I know what I am talking about even if you don't!
Okay. It looks like I need to be crystal clear about something and I thought I'd do it publicly. My dander is up and I am only going to say this one more time. This time I want you to hear what I am actually saying and try to keep your liberal panties from crawling so far up your ass that you misunderstand me- again. Here goes:
Several weeks ago I had sent out an email to a bunch of friends regarding a book I had read that struck an unexpected chord with me. I tire of explaining this but I'll try to keep my patience if you'll promise to hear me out before you start to point and cry "Heretic! Unbeliever! Neo-con soccer mom!" The book in question is "Smut: A Sex Industry Insider (and concerned father) Says Enough is Enough".
I realize the title has already irritated all you champions of the First Amendment (a glorious Amendment- I cannot deny) but this is where you actually get to honor said amendment by either opting NOT to read on or by giving me a chance to explain myself. The book is a long and angry essay about how "just change the channel" doesn't really work anymore as we are so innundated with adult (unfriendly adult) sexual imagery that we can't even escape it. It details how the sex industry pushes its way into our homes and public spaces and offers some tools for concerned parents while making a plea to just be reasonable. The point is to just play nice in spaces where young kids congregate, make the rough stuff available but for adults, and do it voluntarily so that Tipper Gore and Hillary Clinton can find better things to do with their time than trying to erradicate all obscenity from American life. I can't disagree. But something pissed me off. Throughout the book the author (whose name escapse me, sorry) kept repeating "I am NOT advocating a change to the First Amendment!", "I truly believe that if adults want pornography, they are entitled to have it" and so on and so forth. All right, I get the idea. He was simply asking for a little help from the Larry Flints of this world to just keep his public spaces a little bit less of a violent and sexual landmine for his daughter. (He lives in New York, I believe, and this might make a difference in how attacked he feels by glorified sex and violence) It became nauseating that he had to keep repeating how he believes in freedom of speech but that there is a time and a place for some things. I found it annoying that he had to keep saying it.
Now I am pissed off that I have to keep explaining myself. Why is it so hard to understand when someone says "please"? I really don't give a fuck what you do. I don't care what you might enjoy in your spare time. But if you can't watch porn at the office, why watch it on the roof mounted television in your car? Are you still suffering from the delusion that since you are in a little steel box you can pick your nose and jack off without anyone noticing? Can't we just practice a little common sense and keep things in an appropriate place just to be polite?
You see, now that I think about it, it isn't so much the content- boobs everywhere, rampant objectification of women, dry humping on MTV, dick jokes in prime time- that only bothers me a little bit. Honestly, I do what they say I should do- I turn it off. Let's face it, at 30 years old trailers for horror movies still scare me. I can't imagine what it would do to my son, so I don't risk it. What bothers me most is the disrespect and malice with which this stuff is pushed into the marketplace. Sure, I remember wanting to get under people's skin and that youthful desire to disturb the status quo. Fine. But have a fucking point, would you? Where's the fucking point? It's just mindless titilation and its crap. I'm not afraid to say it. We have to stop pretending that absolutely everything is "good" or valid for mass consummption. Some things are just crap, with no skill, no message, no craft and no heart. So I should be able to say it sucks and not have to be diplomatic about it.
There has been a wretched downward spiral in the intellectual and artistic value of our media culture. I don't think I can count the number of times I have read statements like this:
"I really don't have an agenda and I didn't tell this story to shock you. It is just a bunch of stuff that happened and you need to make up your mind for yourself."
Bullshit. Anyone who premptively tries to convince you that they aren't trying to shock you is clearly trying ot shock you. They are just being a chickenshit about it. Stand behind your product and shout out what you want to say loud and clear. Otherwise you are just spewing blood, guts, and hurting women for what purpose? Why? Because you had a bad childhood? Work it out in therapy and when you can say something with any value then come out and say it. Then we can have a discussion about it. But how the hell can we have a real discussion about trailers for slasher movies at 7:00 PM? Who are you trying to reach? I know what you are trying to do- boost your video rentals for 10- 12 year old birthday parties. What, so you can prime them for snuff films? Great.
Don't think I'm not pissed at the parents who rented slasher films for the slumber parties I attended. I'm 12 dude. I don't have any idea about sex and barely any comprehension at all of death and suddenly- after cake and ice cream- I find that the two are welded together with blood and jism. Fabulous. What the fuck were you thinking?
Sex and violence have always been around and they always will. There will always be people who get off on it. Unfortunately, the problem is that when there are people who get off on it, they are usually people who get off on freaking out other people with it. Just like religion. Religion is great- if you keep it to yourself. However, the ugly mole on the butt of religion is the idea that you must witness. You must spread the word. So while half the population is spreading the word the other half is trying to make them squirm by spreading their legs. In a way, both are really hateful when they are pressed on to people who don't want them.
I don't want to live in a world where things are not available. Just have a little respect. I don't want the government to get involved. They always screw it up. So why can't adults monitor themselves? Why must we continue to out-sex and out-murder our competition? Because we are too lazy to try something else? Come on!
A final note- for now...
There is something actors know, psychologists know, and now Malcolm Gladwell, author of "Blink" and "The Tipping Point" knows. We can affect how we feel on the inside by manipulating our environment and even our faces. Actors know, from firsthand experience, that any random adjustment of the body and facial features will illicet an emotional response not just from the person looking but from the person performing. This is how characters are born. This is how choices are made. This is part of the craft. There is a lot of argument in the acting community about "inside-out" versus "outside-in" methodologies. The truth is, they both work. Walk around for one minute with a smile on your face and it won't be long before it begins to feel honest. Scowl for a bit and see if you don't start to feel a little bitchy. The Broken Windows theory that is partially credited with a decline in violent crime in New York states, basically, that it is easier to be a good, law- abiding citizen with clean streets, well kept homes, and regular garbage removal. Our environment and how we choose to represent ourselves within that environment has a profound effect on who we are, how we behave and what we grow up to be. If I get kicked off the cutting edge list because I want my son to be a good person who cares for people and respects others then so be it. You can keep your oh-so-hip and meaningless club for youselves. I have better things to do.
Several weeks ago I had sent out an email to a bunch of friends regarding a book I had read that struck an unexpected chord with me. I tire of explaining this but I'll try to keep my patience if you'll promise to hear me out before you start to point and cry "Heretic! Unbeliever! Neo-con soccer mom!" The book in question is "Smut: A Sex Industry Insider (and concerned father) Says Enough is Enough".
I realize the title has already irritated all you champions of the First Amendment (a glorious Amendment- I cannot deny) but this is where you actually get to honor said amendment by either opting NOT to read on or by giving me a chance to explain myself. The book is a long and angry essay about how "just change the channel" doesn't really work anymore as we are so innundated with adult (unfriendly adult) sexual imagery that we can't even escape it. It details how the sex industry pushes its way into our homes and public spaces and offers some tools for concerned parents while making a plea to just be reasonable. The point is to just play nice in spaces where young kids congregate, make the rough stuff available but for adults, and do it voluntarily so that Tipper Gore and Hillary Clinton can find better things to do with their time than trying to erradicate all obscenity from American life. I can't disagree. But something pissed me off. Throughout the book the author (whose name escapse me, sorry) kept repeating "I am NOT advocating a change to the First Amendment!", "I truly believe that if adults want pornography, they are entitled to have it" and so on and so forth. All right, I get the idea. He was simply asking for a little help from the Larry Flints of this world to just keep his public spaces a little bit less of a violent and sexual landmine for his daughter. (He lives in New York, I believe, and this might make a difference in how attacked he feels by glorified sex and violence) It became nauseating that he had to keep repeating how he believes in freedom of speech but that there is a time and a place for some things. I found it annoying that he had to keep saying it.
Now I am pissed off that I have to keep explaining myself. Why is it so hard to understand when someone says "please"? I really don't give a fuck what you do. I don't care what you might enjoy in your spare time. But if you can't watch porn at the office, why watch it on the roof mounted television in your car? Are you still suffering from the delusion that since you are in a little steel box you can pick your nose and jack off without anyone noticing? Can't we just practice a little common sense and keep things in an appropriate place just to be polite?
You see, now that I think about it, it isn't so much the content- boobs everywhere, rampant objectification of women, dry humping on MTV, dick jokes in prime time- that only bothers me a little bit. Honestly, I do what they say I should do- I turn it off. Let's face it, at 30 years old trailers for horror movies still scare me. I can't imagine what it would do to my son, so I don't risk it. What bothers me most is the disrespect and malice with which this stuff is pushed into the marketplace. Sure, I remember wanting to get under people's skin and that youthful desire to disturb the status quo. Fine. But have a fucking point, would you? Where's the fucking point? It's just mindless titilation and its crap. I'm not afraid to say it. We have to stop pretending that absolutely everything is "good" or valid for mass consummption. Some things are just crap, with no skill, no message, no craft and no heart. So I should be able to say it sucks and not have to be diplomatic about it.
There has been a wretched downward spiral in the intellectual and artistic value of our media culture. I don't think I can count the number of times I have read statements like this:
"I really don't have an agenda and I didn't tell this story to shock you. It is just a bunch of stuff that happened and you need to make up your mind for yourself."
Bullshit. Anyone who premptively tries to convince you that they aren't trying to shock you is clearly trying ot shock you. They are just being a chickenshit about it. Stand behind your product and shout out what you want to say loud and clear. Otherwise you are just spewing blood, guts, and hurting women for what purpose? Why? Because you had a bad childhood? Work it out in therapy and when you can say something with any value then come out and say it. Then we can have a discussion about it. But how the hell can we have a real discussion about trailers for slasher movies at 7:00 PM? Who are you trying to reach? I know what you are trying to do- boost your video rentals for 10- 12 year old birthday parties. What, so you can prime them for snuff films? Great.
Don't think I'm not pissed at the parents who rented slasher films for the slumber parties I attended. I'm 12 dude. I don't have any idea about sex and barely any comprehension at all of death and suddenly- after cake and ice cream- I find that the two are welded together with blood and jism. Fabulous. What the fuck were you thinking?
Sex and violence have always been around and they always will. There will always be people who get off on it. Unfortunately, the problem is that when there are people who get off on it, they are usually people who get off on freaking out other people with it. Just like religion. Religion is great- if you keep it to yourself. However, the ugly mole on the butt of religion is the idea that you must witness. You must spread the word. So while half the population is spreading the word the other half is trying to make them squirm by spreading their legs. In a way, both are really hateful when they are pressed on to people who don't want them.
I don't want to live in a world where things are not available. Just have a little respect. I don't want the government to get involved. They always screw it up. So why can't adults monitor themselves? Why must we continue to out-sex and out-murder our competition? Because we are too lazy to try something else? Come on!
A final note- for now...
There is something actors know, psychologists know, and now Malcolm Gladwell, author of "Blink" and "The Tipping Point" knows. We can affect how we feel on the inside by manipulating our environment and even our faces. Actors know, from firsthand experience, that any random adjustment of the body and facial features will illicet an emotional response not just from the person looking but from the person performing. This is how characters are born. This is how choices are made. This is part of the craft. There is a lot of argument in the acting community about "inside-out" versus "outside-in" methodologies. The truth is, they both work. Walk around for one minute with a smile on your face and it won't be long before it begins to feel honest. Scowl for a bit and see if you don't start to feel a little bitchy. The Broken Windows theory that is partially credited with a decline in violent crime in New York states, basically, that it is easier to be a good, law- abiding citizen with clean streets, well kept homes, and regular garbage removal. Our environment and how we choose to represent ourselves within that environment has a profound effect on who we are, how we behave and what we grow up to be. If I get kicked off the cutting edge list because I want my son to be a good person who cares for people and respects others then so be it. You can keep your oh-so-hip and meaningless club for youselves. I have better things to do.
posted by Bree O'Connor at 1:33 AM
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