Hollywood’s blockbuster movies often portray sex and drug use without depicting their consequences, says a new study from the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney.
The authors of the study concluded: "The motion picture industry should be encouraged to depict safer sex practices and the real consequences of unprotected sex and illicit drug use."
But Adam Smith, a writer with the British film magazine Empire, said it isn’t Hollywood’s job "to be a social or moral guardian. It’s fiction."
What do you think?
Posted by Melissa Cooley
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25 Comments
The big screen has an enormous power over young people. I can remember being young and much influenced by the simple fact that it was even permissable to show immoral and amoral behaviors on screen.
“Yeah, what’s wrong with screwing the baby sitter, stealing from the widow, and pumping drugs. Everybody is happy. Let it be, man”
It is important that somebody educate kids. Everyone knows the parents are too busy to do it. But is it Hollywood’s job? Sure, some balance could make good screenplay, but Hollywood as in-loco-parentis is really dumb.
Yes, encourage the industry to do some movies on the consequences of parental selfishness, drugs, and indiscriminate sex. But don’t expect much.
You got that right, Andy… especially the part about don’t expect much. Hollywood is about profit and ego (not sure which one is more important). “Social responsibilty” is not even in the top 10.
We cannot expect Hollywood, the government, or some make believe “village” to raise children. It is a parental responsibility. Of course, when parents fail to do their primary job, it is easy to blame movies, music, schools, etc., instead of recognizing the fault is in the home, not outside.
It is fiction and I totally agree with Hollywood on this one. They should be able to do anything they want.
I guess back in the late 1800’s that the book Huckleberry Finn prompted little boys to run away from home to have an adventure. I doubt that.
Movie culture is part of the same corporatism that conservatives love when it’s Boeing screwing over the machinists.
Fox has a good thing going. It attracts three-quarters of its viewers with shows like The OC, Married with Children, and South Park. Then it excoriates the “permissive liberal culture” to another third that tune into Sean Hannity, Fox News, and Bill O’Lielly.
Sorry, Galahad, but I think it’s a pretty sad commentary on our society that Jerry Springer is still the #1 TV show in our country. Fox is giving everyone the trash TV that they they want, there is no social responsibility anymore, it’s all about money. It’s no secret that money is god in this country.
Its really simple to figure out when Hollywood will stop making those kinds of films – when they stop making money! Just like if certain Wichitans want adult businesses to go away, then figure out how to change values to where they don’t make enough money to stay in business. But those kinds of changes require a lot of hard persistent work in instilling good values starting when children. Aw, heck, thats too much work, lets just pass a law…
Raising children is the parents job.
Not Government Screw-allsNot Hollywood
Proudman…I agree..and want to add one. It does not ‘take a village’, either. It takes parents.
A letter to the editor in Tuesday’s Eagle had a whacko advocating parenting licenses. She called herself a Democrat. In reality she’s what I call a statist, someone who advocates for government control of everything.
I thought our hairdressers were supposed to be our social or moral gaurdians.With them and Phill on the job, we’ve got nothing to fret and worry over.
How many parents today are up to the challenge of guiding their kids through all the garbage thrown at them? My parents had it easy, there wasn’t much out there when I was a kid they felt they had to protect me from.Too many parents today are too selfish and inadaquate to do the job even in the best of circumstances.I feel sorry for children today, so many of them will never have the childhood they deserve.
Ray, I don’t agree. Today’s children should be everyone’s responsibility, because they are our future. It’s selfish attitudes like your’s that make the world suck.
One last thought, wouldn’t it be a wonderful world if everytime we had to decide on an issue, we would ask ourselves “Is this what’s best for the children?”. It makes the right choice much clearer.
Thing is, most sex and drug use doesn’t have much in the way of negative consequences. That’s reality. When they do have them, the results can be horrendous. That’s reality too. Taken as a whole, Hollywood has plenty of examples on both sides. Let’s let art reflect life as it is, and keep the preaching to a minimum. OK?
I really don’t think TV reflects life as it really is, instead the life of the average American viewing audience usually reflects what it sees on TV. If that weren’t true, big business wouldn’t spend billions each year on advertising.The reality is, many Americans are just a bunch of sheep waiting to be told what’s important, what we should care about, and most of all, what we should buy.I’d like to know where you get your statistics that drug use and sex for the most part don’t have negative consequences. Are you talking about a certain age group, are you talking about yourself, or are you generalizing about everybody?When I look at how many babies are born to young single moms (The US has the highest rate of any industrialized nation), how many thousands of people are in jail for drug offenses, how many people I’ve seen personally in my nursing career that have had to be treated for STDs, I’d say there are plenty of negative consequences. Maybe you need to get out into the world a little more, Jed.
Damoon,I am out in the world enough, thank you. The simple truth is that the number of pregnancies, STD’s etc., are nowhere near the number of people sexually active. The number of people arrested an/or addicted, while huge, is still way below the numbers of people who experiment with or occasionally use drugs recreationally. I was around for the ’60’s, and while some of the people I knew who used are dead or damaged, many more are now pillars of the community!Further, people don’t continually watch shows that bear no relationship to their lives. There has to be some kind of common ground there to hold their interest. Portraying people as you wish them to be rather than as they are doesn’t make viewers moral, it just bores them.
Jed, excuse me, I didn’t realize you had the market cornered on knowing what people are really like. Next time I need anything about human behavior explained to me, I’ll consult you first.I wouldn’t want to BORE you!
Damoon,I certainly don’t claim to have the market cornered on anything, but I’ve spent a life, both personally and professionally, watching people, reading the literature in a dozen or so disciplines and putting together a working knowledge of why and how people do what they do, and I’ve survived raising three intelligent and creative kids. Please feel free to consult me!
I’ve also spent most of my career observing and learning about the human psyche and it’s dysfunction. I know it’s probably because of my work and being so in touch with the dark side of human behavior that I’m a little jaded. Sometimes I have to remind myself that most people are good and well intentioned.
Damoon,Yes, we need to remind ourselves from time to time, that the vast majority of all people, of all races, religions, nationalities, sexual persuasions and genders are busy nearly all the time with the same problems of life that we are. We are, all of us, a lot more alike than we are different. Thanks
I’ve known somewhat more than my fair share of the dark side of humanity too. What saved me from concluding that people are no damn good was that I also knew some honest to god heros and heroines too! Married one of ‘em!
Lucky you! Sometimes I do think angels walk among us.You’re so right about everyone being more alike than different. All humans have the same feelings and needs, some just deal with it better than others.
Damoon,Also, some get their needs met, and others don’t.
True. That’s why it’s so important we all pay attention to the needs of children and our responsibility in making the world a better place for them. Too many children today don’t even have the basics for a sucessful life.
Agreed!