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Ask HN: Why do we accept gore in movies/games but not nudity/sex in sitcoms?

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Ask HN: Why do we accept gore in movies/games but not nudity/sex in sitcoms?

#1
Violent movies are constantly full of gore, and I rarely hear complaints about this. It is accepted that you will see some blood, trauma, dismembered body parts, etc, if you're watching an action movie or playing an action game (FPS games like Half Life or F.E.A.R in particular). Sitcoms on the other hand, largely have no nudity, yet they touch on mature topics like sexuality almost every episode, and occasionally, taboo. So why is it that sitcoms constantly talk about these topics but never portray them (i.e., fully uncensored nudity/sexual acts)? I've thought of this for a long time now, and I can't think of any particular reason other than that it would be "weird" because we're not used to it. Thoughts?

EDIT: What I mean by uncensored nudity/sexuality is showing actual genitalia or depictions of sexual acts, as in what you'd expect to see in pornography, except I wouldn't call it pornography here - it would have the same "realism" effect as what is currently done on the violence fronts. As far as I know, no mainstream media has made such depictions so far.

Re: Ask HN: Why do we accept gore in movies/games but not nudity/sex in sitcoms?

#5
Because buying a movie or a game is much more intentional in the sense that it appeals to a specific demographic that has opted in (my grandma would HATE Half Life or any most rated R movies, but is way less offended by a sexual reference in a sitcom).

Mainstream Media doesn't want it, enter Showtime and HBO.

I watch movies and play games that I wouldn't want my six year old to be exposed to when he was flipping the channels? Like Leonidas in 300. My kid would have nightmares for days!!!

Re: Ask HN: Why do we accept gore in movies/games but not nudity/sex in sitcoms?

#6

Because buying a movie or a game is much more intentional in the sense that it appeals to a specific demographic that has opted in (my grandma would HATE Half Life or any most rated R movies, but is way less offended by a sexual reference in a sitcom). Mainstream Media doesn't want it, enter Showtime and HBO. I watch movies and play games that I wouldn't want my six year old to be exposed to when he was flipping the…

I expected a response like this but didn't cover it in the question due to lack of space. However, even on Showtime and HBO there aren't uncensored depictions of sexual acts or full nudity. Yet there is plenty of violence intended to look realistic. I'd expect that if our society accepted uncensored sexuality in movies, there'd be sitcoms with it too, since that's already one of their main topics.

Re: Ask HN: Why do we accept gore in movies/games but not nudity/sex in sitcoms?

#7
post #3

Because we've somehow as a culture made the decision that violence is to be glorified, but sex and bodies are still shameful — except, apparently, when we use them to sell things, and even then we can only be suggestive , not explicit.

That reminds me of something that happened at the movie theater when I went to see Hunger Games. There was a couple with a small child maybe 5 years old. They asked what Hunger Games was about and the employee said it was about a bunch of teenagers brutally killing each other for sport. The father, without flinching, said "as long as there's no sex we'll take 2 adults and one child ticket!"

Re: Ask HN: Why do we accept gore in movies/games but not nudity/sex in sitcoms?

#8
The two aren't equivalent. Plenty of movies contain nudity\sex as well as violence and gore. Movies have ratings and are somewhat protected( ticket sales to R rated movies are restricted to 18+ in the US) therefore they have greater latitude in what they are allowed to do. Also the FCC has a number of decency rules that broadcast channels have to follow. That is why most TV shows with any "stronger" content is on a cable channel, and all the shows with movie levels of sex and violence end up on HBO, showtime, etc. HBO, etc. doesn't do sitcoms therefore no overly sexual sitcoms. Though there is still plenty of stuff on those channels like sex and the city.

Re: Ask HN: Why do we accept gore in movies/games but not nudity/sex in sitcoms?

#9
Because sitcoms are supposed to be family friendly and for some reason the world explodes if you show female breasts or male buttocks. People do complain about violent content on tv though. I don't think a show like A-Team would work today, with all the people being pseudo-killed every week. Maybe they're still being made and just not making it across the Atlantic?

One recent "sitcom" that has nudity, including some male nudity, is "Togetherness" which does it well and is also v.funny.

In the UK we have breasts printed in a (well selling) daily newspaper but we're a bit cautious about what gets shown at what times on TV. We have a concept called "the watershed" (9.00PM) Programmes shown before that have to be a bit careful about what they show; programmes shown after that can be more relaxed about what they show. The fines for the Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction probably wouldn't happen over here.

Re: Ask HN: Why do we accept gore in movies/games but not nudity/sex in sitcoms?

#10

The two aren't equivalent. Plenty of movies contain nudity\sex as well as violence and gore. Movies have ratings and are somewhat protected( ticket sales to R rated movies are restricted to 18+ in the US) therefore they have greater latitude in what they are allowed to do. Also the FCC has a number of decency rules that broadcast channels have to follow. That is why most TV shows with any "stronger" content is on a c…

The Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction - less than a sexond of onscreen obscured nipple - resulted in heavy fines (although they were overturned later); but violent content is often shown at similar times of day on similar channels. People get shot and killed all the time on tv. Admittedly, they're not gruesome murders and the fake blood -if any- is obvious, but it's still a bit weird to see such a clear acceptance of violence and banning of any nudity.
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