Ugh.
I just saw Spiderman. I'm totally and completely torn. Torn between liking the movie and being completely disgusted by it. I enjoyed it, I was entertained. I also think it was very violent, and that's the part that bothers me. The fact that there were at least five or six children under the age of seven (in a group of only twenty or so people in that theatre) made me want to throw up. That movie is not for children.
I knew that Children and the Media class was going to bite me in the ass one day. Violence in the media causes aggression in children. That is one thing that has been absolutely, without a doubt, proven. Obviously there are other factors that interact also, but the fact still remains. Children immitate attractive models. What makes a character attractive? Cartoons are very attractive. Bright colors, good guys. Heros. What is the very worst kind of violence a child could be subjected to? Justified violence. Good fighting evil definitely falls under the heading of justified violence. And to make it worse, no one seemed to get hurt. Spiderman and the bad guy went through plate glass windows, through brick walls, were punched, kicked, and thrown again and again. Weapons flew left and right, and guess what? They not only lived through it all, but they barely got hurt (I think Spiderman had a bloody nose once), and they got right back up again to fight! That teaches that violence is not only not a bad thing, but even a good thing. That there are no consequences for violence. And through it all, the characters giving these messages are attractive to kids.
Now I think Spiderman got a PG-13 rating. Fine. That's probably the kind of movie that thirteen year olds can go to see and enjoy and be able to differentiate between what is possible and what is not. But it makes me sick to think that parents are taking early elementary school children to see a film like that! And I've been told that Spiderman toys are in Burger King kids meals, which I think is totally and completely irresponsible on the part of Burger King. It's not a movie for children. Even if it's based on a cartoon, it's not a movie for children. And anyone who advertises it as such is just... ugh. It just kills me that there were so many young kids in there! The violence was bothering me, and I'm twenty-one years old. I can't even imagine what a child would think.
Okay, I'm off my soap box. Sorry for the lecture. <.g> I just wish there was a way to change the system!!