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

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11–20 of 22 posts

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

#11
From what I gather, this is culturally specific and context matters. Different countries "censor" different things. In the U.S., Will Smith's nude shower scene was edited out of I, Robot but left in for European audiences. This was kind of a shame because it wasn't sexual at all and was a natural way to show the audience his robotic arm, an important plot point that was hard to properly introduce any other way. On the other hand, Linda Hamilton not only beefed up for Terminator 2, she actually learned to pick locks for the movie, something shown on-screen. Great Britain apparently had an issue with showing live lock-picking and that was censored in some fashion in that country.

(Or so I understand it. I am not in a position to look up citations.)

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

#15
I'm going to take the other side of this one. My starting point is the Super Bowl. During that game, advertisers spent $4M for one commercial. Are they fools? Or can they, in 30 or 60 seconds, make a $4M+ change in peoples' behavior?

I suspect that they know what they're doing. Because they are putting their money where their mouth is. I trust them more than I trust all those who say that all the sex and violence (hours and hours of it) doesn't matter, because it doesn't change anybody's behavior. Follow the money, trust the money. The money says what we see changes behavior. (Not everybody's, not 100%. But enough to matter.)

So I take the position that neither the sex nor the violence is good for us as a society. It causes actual changes in behavior.

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

#17

I'm going to take the other side of this one. My starting point is the Super Bowl. During that game, advertisers spent $4M for one commercial. Are they fools? Or can they, in 30 or 60 seconds, make a $4M+ change in peoples' behavior? I suspect that they know what they're doing. Because they are putting their money where their mouth is. I trust them more than I trust all those who say that all the sex and violence (ho…

Why do you assume people would have sex less often after watching depictions of sexual acts?

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

#18
It is because we live in a warrior culture that glorifies male domination. Nudity and sex imply vulnerability and female power. (which is why nip-slips at football halftime shows seem so threatening).

The interesting thing is that frontal male nudity is the greatest taboo outside porn... It suggests male vulnerability, and opens up the idea of objectification of men.

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

#19

It is because we live in a warrior culture that glorifies male domination. Nudity and sex imply vulnerability and female power. (which is why nip-slips at football halftime shows seem so threatening). The interesting thing is that frontal male nudity is the greatest taboo outside porn... It suggests male vulnerability, and opens up the idea of objectification of men.

What does a warrior culture have to do with male domination? You know very little of history if you think warrior culture is unique to the male.

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

#20
post #19

It is because we live in a warrior culture that glorifies male domination. Nudity and sex imply vulnerability and female power. (which is why nip-slips at football halftime shows seem so threatening). The interesting thing is that frontal male nudity is the greatest taboo outside porn... It suggests male vulnerability, and opens up the idea of objectification of men.

What does a warrior culture have to do with male domination? You know very little of history if you think warrior culture is unique to the male.

I never said that all warrior cultures are male dominated... just this one.
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