Torture This!
I'm boycotting movies and television shows that feature torture scenes. I finally realized, I can't stand watching it, so why am I?
Well, mostly because of the people around me - left to my own devices, I probably wouldn't turn on the TV. Unless maybe the "How Not To Decorate" guys were doing a marathon (they currently are - at a housing project in Glasgow, if you're interested). Otherwise, I'm not much into the habit of watching television.
But I was having this discussion with my companion and sister the other day. While she felt that watching torture scenes could possibly de-sensitize one to them (and not in a good way, she meant), I offered up that watching torture scenes over the years had only made me MORE sensitive to them. I mean, I haven't seen ANYTHING by Tarentino et al (the darlings of torture movies - in more ways than one - i.e.
"Yabbut", she said, "You're a woman".
Aha. That explains it. Because I could so easily be a victim of what is being depicted on the screen, I don't want to watch it.
"But I am sensitized to it, too. And I think I've become even more so, the more of it I've seen."
That came from my companion. But he's the most decent human being I know, so, well... okay... I suppose most of the men I know are not the types to get off on torture scenes, or worse - real life rape and murder.
So... who are torture scenes for then, exactly? Because I think that psychotic people probably DO get off on torture scenes. And, I'm telling you - outside the romantic comedy genre, you'll be hardpressed to find a film today that doesn't feature at least SOME torture. And TV - the best of TV ferchrissakes - features it so prominently, well, let's just say Deadwood and The Sopranos are off my viewing list - that's for sure.
But speaking of Deadwood, it had come recommended to me by a female friend, so I thought, "Oh... Okay...", remembering she once gave me a book "Credo" which I read only a couple of pages of before putting back on the shelf it was so gruesome. Anyway, I watched one episode and thought, "Hm... I can see why men might like this. The women are portrayed as being completely dependent on the good graces of the men." - which is why I had no desire to watch any more episodes, quite frankly. In your wild wet dreams, Feminized Modern Man. And the "tossing the recently tortured and murdered to the pigs"? Well - no comment. But obviously Deadwood's writers are NOT Canadian or they'd know it's been done - recently.
Anyway, I'm sort of putting my foot down, I guess, because I've watched too many torture/rape/murder scenes that end up staying with me and I don't see any reason for it. I don't need to see torture to know it happens - cripes, it's been legitimized by governments that still call themselves democratic. It's not that I'm shocked by it - I just don't want to see it. And it seems to me it's so de rigeur in movies and dramatic television shows that, well, I'm going to be boycotting a lot of movies and television shows this year, I guess.
No matter, if women aren't being tortured, raped, murdered in Hollywood - they're waiting for their boyfriend/husband to come home from work so they can ask, "What's happening to you?", so, it's not like I'll be missing anything insightful.
And I've had enough of real life misogyny, thanks. I don't need any more from Hollywood.
