Ok, so it'll come as no surprise to anyone that I'm a big 'ol wuss. I can't handle horror movies or movies that depict a lot of personal violation. Heck, I need therapy every time I see someone get a hang nail. And dark comedies are for me an exercise in high blood pressure and mental trauma. Seeing Hollywood portray horrific violence or appalling human behavior not only makes me squeamish, but upsets me to the point of pacing around the house in a grumpy rage. I try the whole self-talk routine of "it's not real, they are just actors, that person isn't really having an affair while maliciously deceiving her husband, spying on her neighbor, taking a hit out on her best friend and locking her child in the basement." Sadly that little reality check seems to do nothing to dissuade my fury or avoid triggering my superhero complex which wants to right what is so obviously wrong. So, as I said: big 'ol wuss.
What I'd love some help understanding is why some people actually really enjoy watching that kind of stuff. I'm not trying to be judgmental, I just genuinely don't get it. What's fun about seeing a man's child get tortured while he is forced to watch? What's entertaining about seeing a women get raped only for the perpetrator to get away with it? What's the draw to watch a person treat friends and family like disposable pawns in their own selfish endeavors?
Now, if the story is about a person finding triumph through adversity I'm all for it. Or perhaps instead the 'victim' finds some purpose/hope in life in spite of the crap they have to deal with. I don't want to pretend that life is all perfect and happy. In fact, I can be more painfully realistic than most people I know. But when a story is all about enjoying the hateful ways we human beings can act... I just don't get it.
It honestly scares me that people enjoy watching those kinds of things. What does that say about them that they find delight in the soap opera adventures of deceit, murder and violation? What am I missing here? Can someone help me out of my big 'ol wuss mentality and into the wonderful world of death, mayhem and moral degradation?
| October 15, 2008 09:25am | 
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